i 


^y:  Lib..  .  <;U-<x.^l^^    ,    >AaA 


.-•<:,  C? 


TARAS  BULBA 

A  TALE   OF   THE   COSSACKS 


TRANSLATED     FROM 
THE     RUSSIAN     OF 

NICOLAI  V.  GOGOL 

By    ISABEL   F.   HAPGOOD 
WITH  AN   INTRODUCTION 


ALFRED  A.  KNOPF 
NEW  YORK  MCMXVII 


RESERVATION 
;OPY  ADDED 
)R{GINAL  TO  BE 
lETAlNED 


APR  1  8  Yiy 


COPYRIGHT,  1^15,  BY 
ISABEL  F.  HAPGOOD 


PRINTED  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA 


P6^  33  33 

T3 


INTRODUCTION 


41€S92 


INTRODUCTION 

The  famous  old  Kazak,  Taras  Bulba,  Is  one  of 
the  great  character-creations  which  speak  for  them- 
selves, and  require  no  extraneous  comment  or 
"  interpretation."  Indeed,  his  overflowing  vital- 
ity embraces  not  only  his  sons,  but  all  his  comrades, 
with  their  typical  Little  Russian  nomenclature  end- 
ing in  ko^  and  the  reader's  interest  in  Kazakdom 
in  general  and  the  Zaporozhtzi  In  particular,  Is 
kindled  to  a  very  unusual  degree.  He  Immedi- 
ately wishes  to  know :  Where  was  —  and  Is  —  the 
Ukraina?  Where  was  Zaporozhe?  Where  — 
and  what  —  was  its  capital,  The  Syech?  Where 
did  the  Kazaks  get  their  name,  and  what  does  it 
mean? 

Complete  answers  to  these  questions  can  be 
found  only  in  Russian  authorities.  Historians  and 
specialists  have  interested  themselves  so  deeply  and 
so  long  in  these  and  allied  questions,  that  the  data 
available  are  confusingly  abundant.  I  shall  not 
bewilder  the  reader  by  giving  him  a  choice  of 
numerous  theories :  I  shall  autocratically  select  the 

7 


8    A  ;  ;  .;  .•;  INTRODUCTION 

one  which  appears  to  me  to  be  most  rational,  best 
founded,  most  satisfactory  for  all  practical  pur- 
poses, and  offer  It  for  his  consideration  If  not  his 
adoption. 

The  Ukralna,  briefly  stated,  Is  —  the  Border 
Marches.  Naturally  It  has  varied,  In  different 
epochs,  just  as  our  Western  Frontier  (pretty 
nearly  Its  exact  equivalent)  varied  at  different 
periods  In  the  briefer  history  of  the  United  States, 
and  was  pushed  further  and  further  away  from  the 
Eastern  centre  of  civilisation.  In  the  case  of  Rus- 
sia, Moscow  represented  that  centre. 

The  line  was  never  fixed,  never  definite.  At 
one  period  It  ran  not  very  far  south  of  Moscow, 
although  the  region  beyond  a  line  beginning  two 
or  three  hundred  miles  south  of  Moscow  — 
Southwest  Russia,  with  Kiev  as  Its  centre  —  con- 
tains, roughly  stated,  its  variations  and  general  lo- 
cation, so  far  as  the  "  Ukralna  "  of  Gogol's  de- 
lightful Tales,  and  the  exquisite  poetry  and  music 
of  The  Ukralna  are  concerned. 

When  I  was  visiting  the  late  Count  L.  N. 
Tolstoy  at  Yasnaya  Polyana,  the  young  men  of  the 
family  often  played  on  their  balalaikas  (among 
other  Russian  folk-songs)  a  dance-song  which 
irresistibly  incited  one  to  laughter,  and  set  one's 
feet  to  patting.  When  I  inquired  the  words  to 
this    "  Barynya-Sudarynya "     (Lady-Madam)     I 


INTRODUCTION  9 

was  told  that  they  were  not  only  fragmentary  but 
really  quite  shocking. 

No  one,  it  appears,  had  ever  cared  much  for  the 
words  of  "  Barynya-Sudarynya,"  and  the  four  or 
live  couplets  generally  known  of  the  other  repre- 
hensible tune,  the  famous  "  Kamarynskaya,"  had 
been  so  badly  damaged  by  careless  repetition  and 
reproduction  that  even  the  learned  had  come  to 
look  upon  both  songs  as  purely  scandalous,  useless, 
unworthy  of  notice.  But  one  day  it  was  discov- 
ered that  *'  Barynya-Sudarynya  ''  Is  a  sequel  to  the 
*'  Kamarynskaya,'' —  and  that  the  words  are  scan- 
dalous in  part  only,  while  the  two  combined  chron- 
icle an  Interesting  epoch  of  that  strenuous  life  of 
the  Border  Marches  —  the  Ukraina  —  which,  for 
many  centuries,  was  the  chronic  condition  of  the 
Tzardom  of  Muscovy  as  It  evolved  triumphantly 
to  the  present  Empire  of  Russia. 

The  heroes  of  both  songs  are  strictly  historical 
personages,  and  their  abode  was  the  Southern 
Frontier  —  the  Ukraina  of  Moscow  —  which,  dur- 
ing the  fourteenth  and  fifteenth  centuries  meant  the 
present  Government  of  Orel  (pronounced  Aryol)^ 
and  so  continued,  with  the  addition  of  an  unflatter- 
ing adjective,  until  Little  Russia,  the  Cradle  of  the 
Empire,  temporarily  conquered  by  Poland,  was  re- 
united to  Moscow.  During  this  second  period  a 
prominent  place  was  occupied  by  the  District  of 


lo  INTRODUCTION 

Kamaritzkaya  (also  known  as  Kamarnitzkaya,  or 
Kamarynskaya,  from  the  word,  komdr,  a  mousquito 
or  gnat.  Whether  the  region  derived  its  appella- 
tion from  the  fact  that  it  was  mousquito-ridden,  or 
because  of  the  stinging  powers  of  its  inhabitants,  I 
am  unable  to  state).  During  this  epoch,  the  dis- 
trict in  question  was  teeming  with  the  germs  of 
many  important  historical  events,  and  offered  a 
favourable  field  for  the  development  of  the  fool- 
hardy, dissolute  scapegrace  of  a  peasant  who  ac- 
quired the  name  of  the  region  and  became  immor- 
talised with  it  in  the  most  famous  of  Russian  folk- 
songs, whose  air  was  first  arranged  for  orchestra 
by  Glinka,  the  father  of  modern  Russian  secular 
Music,  and  to  whom,  in  great  measure,  it  is  in- 
debted for  its  present  world-wide  fame. 

The  Ukraina  of  that  day  may  be  said  to  have 
extended  to  the  Caucasus  (Kavkaz)  on  the  east, 
the  Black  Sea  and  the  Sea  of  Azov  on  the  south, 
and  into  present  Poland  and  Galicia  on  the  west 
—  in  fact,  it  occupied  the  region  which  the  present- 
day  "Ukrainians"  (a  political,  semi-German- 
Austrian  party  into  whose  quarrels  and  aspirations 
I  cannot  enter)  would  like  to  see  erected  into  a 
separate  kingdom,  alien  to  Russia.  The  Kama- 
rynskaya District  became  the  property  of  Moscow 
in  1508,  having  previously,  for  a  long  time, 
belonged  to  Lithuania ;  and  for  many  years  it  was 


INTRODUCTION  ii 

the  most  dangerous  spot  in  the  whole  vast  Border 
Marches,  subject  to  raids  and  deeds  of  violence 
from  both  its  former  and  its  present  owners,  as 
well  as  from  the  Tatars  of  the  Crimea,  and  the 
Poles.  The  Inhabitants  lived  a  semi-savage  life, 
and  were  famed  for  the  roughness  of  their  ways  — 
even  In  that  rough  age.  They  were  few  In  num- 
ber, and  the  situation  grew  so  acute  after  the  con- 
quest of  Kazan  from  the  Tatars  (1552),  that  it 
became  an  imperative  necessity  to  populate  the 
district,  in  order  to  protect  Moscow  from  the 
Tatars  of  the  Crimea,  who  were  enraged  by  the 
overthrow  of  their  brethren  on  the  Volga. 

Moscow  decided  that  strong  towns  must  be 
founded,  at  any  cost;  and,  at  last,  Tzar  Ivan  the 
Terrible  {Grozny  Is  the  Russian  word  which  is  al- 
ways, by  custom,  translated,  "  terrible  " ;  but.  In 
connection  with  Ivan  IV,  it  really  signified,  as  al- 
ways when  applied  to  Tzars,  "  daring,  august, 
imperious,  one  who  inspires  his  enemies  with  terror 
and  holds  his  people  In  obedience  ")j^  who  accom- 
4)li&hed  such  incalculable  work  for  the  unification  of 
Russia,  set  about  the  task.  All  the  colonists  who 
could  be  collected,  by  hook  or  by  crook,  were  de- 
spatched thither,  without  regard  to  their  moral 
character,  fighting  qualities  alone  being  taken  Into 
consideration.  Young  men  were  chosen,  the 
more  reckless  and  enterprising  the  better.     In  fact, 


12  INTRODUCTION 

the  Ukralna  of  that  age  played  the  part  taken  by 
Siberia  at  a  later  day,  and  received  all  criminals 
and  undesirable  persons  banished  to  protect  the 
rights  of  others,  to  save  the  peace,  and  to  settle 
the  Border  Marches :  the  "  bad  men  "  were  given 
a  chance  to  rehabihtate  themselves  In  a  prison 
whose  roof  was  the  sky,  whose  walls  were  the 
horizon.  With  modifications,  the  description  of 
conditions  applies,  with  much  accuracy  to  our  own 
Western  frontier,  save  that  residence  there  was  not 
compulsory.  The  local  authorities  were  strictly 
forbidden  to  tamper  with  these  wild  colonists. 

Then,  when  Tzar  Boris  Godunov,  after  usurp- 
ing the  throne,  instituted  serfdom  (about  1592) 
—  almost,  under  prevailing  conditions,  justifiable 
as  a  measure  of  state  —  every  peasant  who  re- 
belled against  being  bound  to  the  glebe  fled  to  the 
Kamarynskaya.  The  Great  Famine  of  160 1-3 
sent  more  recruits.  The  district  was  conveniently 
near  home  for  the  Immigrants,  and  fell  Into  the 
category  of  '^  Crown  Lands,''  so  that  serfdom  was 
not  established  there.  Naturally,  also,  no  one  was 
particularly  anxious  to  own  the  sort  of  people  who 
belonged  there.  In  this  throng,  which  comprised 
all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men,  the  criminal  ele- 
ment predominated.  The  scum  came  to  the  sur- 
face in  the  form  of  robber-bands,  before  whom  the 
few  peaceful  inhabitants  of  the  Ukralna  —  and 


INTRODUCTION  13 

even  of  Moscow  Itself  —  quaked  with  fear.  It 
was  a  clear  case  of  sowing  the  wind  and  reaping 
the  whirlwind!  In  the  end  Moscow  sent  armed 
expeditions  against  these  bandits  —  to  little  effect, 
so  well  had  she  weeded  out  her  black  sheep  into 
this  rich  border  pasture  —  although  many  men 
were  caught  and  hanged,  as  a  certain  Bandit  Ballad 
narrates. 

The   smouldering  fires  broke   out  into   a   dis- 
astrous conflagration  when  the  first  False  Dmitry 

—  the  Pretender  —  laid  claim  to  the  throne. 
These  dare-devils  pricked  up  their  ears:  their 
nostrils  scented  a  fine  feast,  exactly  to  their  taste : 

—  and  when  the  False  Dmitry,  the  renegade  monk, 
Grigory  Otreplev,  made  his  appearance  among 
them,  they  acknowledged  him  as  their  Tzar,  In  the 
face  of  positive  proof  that  the  lad  Dmitry  was 
dead  and  buried;  and  they  settled  the  domestic 
question  by  throwing  their  forces  against  Moscow 
in  his  favour.  In  like  manner,  after  Otrepiev's 
death,  they  supported  another  pretender,  *'  The 
Bandit  of  Tushino,"  as  he  Is  called.  No  one  de- 
rived any  advantage  from  this  —  except  the  False 
Dmitry.  Truth  to  tell,  the  course  of  these  des- 
peradoes was  not  so  mad  as  It  appears  on  first 
sight.  If  they  had  pronounced  against  this  Pre- 
tender, the  Poles,  who  were  pushing  his  claims  and 
prowling  about  the  Ukralna,  would  have  annihi- 


i 


14  INTRODUCTION: 

lated  them.  Moscow  was  too  far  away,  and  pow- 
erless to  protect  them.  So,  with  keen  Instinct  for 
politics  and  for  self-preservation,  the  lowest 
classes,  brigands,  fugitive  serfs  and  peasants  —  the 
**  thews  and  sinews  "  of  the  Ukraina  —  flocked  to 
the  standard  of  the  Bandit  of  Tushino,  robbing  and 
murdering  all  who  opposed  or  did  not  join  them, — 
which  meant,  chiefly,  the  landed  gentry  and  the  cit- 
izens of  the  towns.  The  women,  in  particular,  the 
Bdrynya  and  hdryshnya  —  wives  and  daughters  of 
the  gentry  —  were  compelled  to  marry  these 
scoundrels.  All  these  things,  naturally,  inspired 
such  terror  in  the  landed  gentry  of  the  Ukraina 
that  they  deserted  their  estates  and  fled  to  Mos- 
cow. 

It  Is  this  last  phase  of  the  story  which  "  Barynya- 
Sudarynya  ''  depicts  —  the  situation  of  the  "  Lady- 
Madam-Lady  "  (to  give  It  another  version)  —  In 
the  refrain  of  the  songs.  Thus,  evidently,  it  sets 
forth  one  side  of  the  story,  while  the  "  Kamaryn- 
skaya  "  depicts  the  other,  or  the  morals  and  man- 
ners of  that  particular  Ukraina  as  a  whole,  the 
actors  In  both  songs  being  identical.  Probably  the 
author  of  these  ballads,  with  their  free,  untram-  ^ 
melled  form  and  ancient  "  Kamarynskaya  naked-  | 
ness  ** —  was,  like  their  hero,  a  composite  —  the 
entire  population  of  the  Kamarynskaya  Ukraina. 

The  tradition  did  not  die  out.     The  gentry  did 


INTRODUCTION  15 

not  all  flee  before  the  representatives  of  perfect 
freedom  —  and  did  not  escape  contamination. 
To  that  sad  fact  a  decidedly  racy  historical  inci- 
dent bears  witness.  I  cannot  forbear  citing  it,  to 
complete  the  picture,  although  this  leaf  from  the 
chronicles  of  a  noble  family  refers  to  a  later  date. 
— About  ten  miles  from  Konotop,  in  the  Govern- 
ment of  Kursk,  is  a  spot  noted  in  history,  called 
Kosachya  Sloboda  {slohodd  meaning  a  large  vil- 
lage on  the  high  road  with  the  adjective  of  kazdk 
added) ,  because  there,  in  1672,  took  place  the  elec- 
tion of  Ivan  Samoilovich  to  the  office  of  Hetman 
of  Little  Russia.  Our  concern,  however,  is  not 
with  the  Hetman,  but  with  the  exploits  of  a  lady 
who  lived  near  the  village  —  whose  alternative 
name,  by  the  way,  was  Kosachya  Dubrova,  or  The 
Kazaks'  Oak-forest.  This  strip  of  the  Ukraina 
of  Moscow,  adjoining  the  Hetmanshschlna  (the 
Hetman's  Domain),  was,  for  a  long  time,  the 
arena  of  Insubordination  and  high-handed  deeds 
which  the  landed  proprietors  permitted  themselves 
to  Indulge  in,  taking  advantage  of  their  remoteness 
from  the  long  arm  of  justice  and  the  possibility  of 
effecting  a  speedy  escape,  in  case  of  need,  to  the 
Hetmanshschlna.  The  names  of  noble  families 
which  still  exist  are  mentioned  in  the  complaints  to 
the  Crown  of  their  victims.  Among  the  noble 
families  was  that  of  Durov.     Tradition  has  pre- 


i6  INTRODUCTION 

served  the  memory  of  Marfa  Durov  (or  Durova) 
as  a  famous  brigand.  Few  men  can  have  rivalled 
—  or  even  equalled  —  her.  She  flourished  in  the 
reign  of  the  Empress  Anna  Ivannovna  (1730- 
1740).  The  family  was  influential;  Marfa  was 
wealthy  and  extraordinarily  cantankerous.  On  be- 
ing left  a  widow,  she  recruited  her  lovers  from  her 
own  peasants  and  neighbouring  residents;  and  she 
occupied  her  abundant  leisure  with  highway  rob- 
bery. Recruiting  her  band  from  her  peasants,  she 
made  raids  upon  her  neighbours.  Mounted  cross- 
saddle,  man-fashion,  with  a  gun  slung  across  her 
shoulder,  a  pistol  in  her  pocket,  and  a  sword  girt 
at  her  side,  she  galloped  at  the  head  of  her  horde, 
and  behind  followed  with  carts,  to  transport  the 
booty,  more  peasants.  She  ordered  them  not  to 
sow  or  reap,  telling  them  it  was  not  worth  while 
to  sweat  and  bake  in  the  hot  sun :  they  could  obtain 
all  they  needed  gratis,  provided  by  the  labours  of 
other  people.  Marfa  was  in  the  habit  of  making 
her  raids  in  July  and  August,  chiefly,  and  her 
slaves,  at  her  bidding,  carried  home  ricks  of 
freshly-reaped  grain,  stacks  of  hay,  and  droves  of 
horned  cattle,  sheep  and  pigs  —  whatever  they  en- 
countered, in  short.  She  went  shares  with  them 
when  the  plunder  reached  her  estate.  The  shep- 
herds dared  offer  no  resistance.  Sometimes,  by 
way  of  variety,  Marfa  would  make  a  raid  on  a 


INTRODUCTION  117 

settlement,  or  the  manor  of  a  land-owner  —  and 
if  resistance  was  difficult,  the  victims  submitted. 
Then  Marfa  would  order  them  to  give  her  minions 
food  and  drink  and  would  content  herself  with 
tribute.  She  frequently  broke  into  the  chests  and 
store-houses  of  the  nobility,  and  selected  for  her 
own  use  whatever  she  required;  after  which  she 
compelled  the  sufferers  to  take  a  solemn  oath  (and 
confirm  it  by  kissing  a  holy  picture),  that  they 
would  not  proceed  against  her  for  robbery.  If 
they  refused,  she  threatened  to  call  again  and  ruin 
them  completely,  or  '*  let  loose  the  red  cock  " — 
that  Is  to  say,  set  fire  to  their  buildings.  A  good 
many  were  wise  enough  to  keep  their  oath,  and 
them  Marfa,  as  a  rule,  troubled  no  further.  But 
those  who  violated  their  oath  and  complained  of 
her  suffered  for  It.  The  authorities  were  greedy 
for  bribes,  and  Marfa  Durov  was  lavish  when 
occasion  demanded.  All  the  rural  police  of  the 
county  gave  her  a  free  hand,  as  they  did  to  other 
insubordinate  persons  of  noble  rank,  because  they 
grew  rich  thereby.  When  complaints  were  lodged 
against  Marfa,  they  were  generally  reported  "  not 
proved,"  because  of  the  impossibility  of  discover- 
ing that  the  robbery  had  been  perpetrated  by  none 
other  than  Marfa  In  person.  She,  like  several 
others  in  the  county,  paid  regular  graft  to  the 
police.     So  the  petitioner  gained  nothing  by  his 


i8  INTRODUCTION 

complaint,  and  Marfa  felt  secure  in  meting  out  to 
him  the  punishment  which  she  had  promised. 

Sometimes  these  noble  bandits  disagreed  among 
themselves,  and  civil  war  broke  out.  Once  such  a 
nobly-born  robber  attacked  Marfa's  home  with 
some  of  his  horde,  and  a  bloody  combat  ensued, 
which  ended  in  the  defeat  of  Marfa,  and  the  reduc- 
tion of  her  buildings  and  her  whole  village  to  ashes. 
She  and  her  sons  (who  were  still  minors)  made 
their  escape  by  hiding  In  a  swamp.  But  Marfa 
assembled  her  horde  again  (several  of  her  capable 
assistants  had  been  slain  in  that  fray),  and,  before 
proceeding  to  rebuild  her  village,  she  raided  her 
rival's  estate,  burned  his  manor  to  ashes,  and  slew 
him  with  her  own  hand,  her  men  following  her  ex- 
ample with  his  men  who  had  accompanied  him  In 
his  call  upon  her. 

But  Marfa  made  handsome  amends,  according 
to  her  lights  —  she  had  his  name  and  the  names 
of  all  the  people  who  were  slain  in  this  affair,  in- 
scribed in  a  Book  of  Remembrance,  with  the  com- 
mentary, *'  slain."  This  was,  also,  the  practice  of 
Ivan  the  Terrible  in  regard  to  his  victims;  and  In 
keeping  with  It  was  the  ardent  piety  of  both  Tzar 
Ivan  and  Marfa.  The  souls  of  their  murdered 
victims  are  prayed  for  to  the  present  day,  and  will 
be,  forever. 

Marfa  was  noted  for  her  external  devoutness, 


INTRODUCTION  19 

for  she  observed  all  the  fasts  appointed  by  the 
Church  (and  they  are  onerously  numerous  in  the 
Orthodox  Russian  Church!),  never  missed  a 
church  service  on  Sundays  and  Holy  Days,  and  was 
very  zealous  in  the  matter  of  money  donations  and 
of  gifts  to  the  Church.  When  she  was  about  to 
set  out  on  a  piratical  expedition,  she  was  accus- 
tomed to  go  first  to  the  priest  at  Kosachya  Du- 
brova,  and  order  him  to  hold  a  Prayer-Service,  and 
entreat  God  to  grant  success  to  her  undertaking. 
"Hearken,  bdtkof  she  would  say  to  the  priest, 
"  if  we  are  successful,  we'll  bring  you  a  present, 
because  that  will  mean  that  you  have  obtained  suc- 
cess for  us  from  God  by  your  prayers.  But  if  we 
are  not  successful,  then  you  must  excuse  me,  but 
we'll  warm  your  hide  for  you !  "  So  when  the 
priest  heard  that  Marfa  Durov  had  been  unsuc- 
cessful he  apprehended  disaster  for  himself;  and 
she  would  ride  up  and  administer  a  sound  horse- 
whipping, because  he  had  not  understood  how  to 
pray  luck  for  her  from  God !  —  Probably  she 
made  him  hold  a  Te  Deum  service  In  case  of  suc- 
cess. Assuredly,  the  unhappy  priest  of  Kosachya 
Dubrova  had  on  his  hands  one  of  the  most  compli- 
cated cases  of  conscience  and  faith  upon  record! 

When  Marfa's  sons  grew  up  they  participated  In 
their  mother's  crimes  —  and  she  instigated  them  to 
forms  of  crime  which  she  could  not  perpetrate  her- 


20  INTRODUCTION 

self.  Things  went  on  in  this  fashion  —  the  priest, 
unless  already  reduced  to  a  moral  jelly  by  previous 
experiences,  must  have  been  quite  shocked  by  his 
power  with  God  —  for  six  or  seven  years.  Then 
one  of  the  sons  proposed  something  which  bettered 
his  mother's  teaching  —  a  crime  against  which 
Marfa  herself  revolted;  and  he  also  fell  out  with 
his  brothers.  So  far,  the  authorities  had  never 
been  able  to  catch  Marfa  and  her  gang  in  the  very 
act  of  crime,  as  would  be  necessary  if  they  were  to 
deal  with  her  effectively.  Now,  this  son  secretly 
gave  information  in  proper  quarters  as  to  the  time 
when  Marfa  and  his  brothers,  with  their  minions, 
were  intending  to  "  go  a-hunting  "  (as  Marfa  was 
wont,  pleasantly,  to  express  it),  and  she  was  cap- 
tured, tried,  condemned  and  exiled  to  Siberia. 
This  third  son,  who  had  refrained  from  taking  part 
in  her  final  *'  hunt,''  after  betraying  her  and  his 
brothers,  remained  the  sole  heir  of  the  ancestral 
estate.  But  he  did  not  reign  over  it  long.  His 
mother,  at  her  departure  into  exile,  had  cursed  him. 
Burdened  with  this  curse,  he  fell  into  melancholy, 
and  committed  suicide.  Evidently  he,  like  the 
priest  of  Kosachya  Dubrova,  was  afflicted  with  a 
complicated  case  of  conscience. 

In  the  famous  Epic  Songs  of  Russia,  composed, 
probably,  in  the  tenth,  eleventh  and  twelfth  centu- 
ries, the  greatest  of  the  Bogatyri  (Heroes),  Ilya 


INTRODUCTION  21 

of  Murom,  Is  always  referred  to  as  "  the  old 
Kazak."  But  in  ancient  times,  as  any  peasant  of 
the  far-away  locaHties  in  the  North  where  these 
Epics  still  are  sung,  will  explain,  heroic  deeds  were 
performed  indifferently  by  men  and  women,  the 
men  being  called  "'bogatyri "  and  the  women 
"  polyanitzi."  So  perhaps  Marfa  Durov  ranks  — 
by  courtesy,  at  least  —  as  a  Polyanitza.  At  any 
rate,  she  was  more  or  less  distantly  related  to 
Taras  Bulba ! 

TTie  Kazakdom  of  Little  Russia  —  which  Is,  in 
general,  the  region  dealt  with  in  Gogol's  story  — 
bore  the.  same  general  character  as  that  of  Great 
Russia  which  acknowledged  the  authority  of  the 
Kingdom  of  Moscow.  The  Epic  Songs,  and 
"  The  Old  Kazak,  Ilya  of  Murom,"  originated 
there.  Kazak  and  fugitive  serf  came  to  be,  prac- 
tically, synonymous  terms. 

The  term  "  kazak  "  is  ancient, —  and  the  most 
rational  of  the  explanations  of  it  Is,  that  of  old, 
among  the  Turks,  it  was  applied  to  a  mounted 
warrior,  lightly  armed, —  and  somehow  Inferior 
as  a  soldier.  In  the  Polovetzk  Dictionary  of  the 
year  1303  the  word  Is  written  "  kozak."  Among 
the  Tatars,  with  whom  the  Ukraina  was  compelled 
to  live  In  such  close  contact,  on  such  close  terms  of 
enmity,  from  the  thirteenth  to  the  fifteenth  century, 
*'  kozak  "  has  the  meaning  of  a  fine  man,  an  Inde- 


22  INTRODUCTION 

pendent  military  adventurer  —  again  of  low  grade 
:(the  Turks  and  Tatars  belong  to  the  same  Ural- 
Altaic  stock,  along  with  the  Hungarians  and  the 
Finns) , —  with  shades  of  meaning  indicating  a  vag- 
abond, a  partisan,  a  homeless  roamer,  a  nomad. 
Altogether,  it  seems  to  describe  the  kazak  of  the 
early  periods  very  thoroughly.  With  the  status  of 
the  kazak  as  an  agriculturist,  with  a  fixed  home,  a 
soldier  of  the  Russian  Army,  and  with  the  divisions 
Into  kazaks  of  the  Don,  the  Ural,  the  Terek,  the 
Kuban  and  so  forth,  and  the  conditions  of  his 
service,  it  is  not  necessary  here  to  deal. 

The  one  appellation  which  is  lost  in  the  present 
divisions  is  precisely  the  historic  one  of  the  Zapo- 
rozhtzi.  Zaporozhe,  the  domain  of  the  kazaks  of 
our  story,  Is  somewhat  difficult  to  delimit  (without 
entering  into  too  much  detail)  on  the  present  map 
of  Russia.  A  large  slice  —  practically  all  of  the 
present  Government  of  Tauris  (not  counting  the 
Crimea),  starting  from  the  lagoon  of  Ochakov  at 
the  southwest  point,  bounded  on  the  south  by  the 
Black  Sea  and  the  Sea  of  Azov,  and.  In  a  curving 
line,  northeast,  east,  south  again,  by  the  Dnyeper, 
the  Konskaya  and  the  Berda  rivers  —  was  the  ter- 
ritory of  the  Nogai  Tatars.  Zaporozhe  lay  to  the 
west,  north  and  east  of  this  Tatar  territory.  Be- 
ginning with  Ochakov,  at  the  western  point  of  the 
Dnyeper  lagoon,  Zaporozhe  was  enclosed  on  the 


INTRODUCTION  23 

west  by  the  river  Bug  and  the  Sinlukha,  curving 
northeast  just  above  Novomlrgorod  and  to  a  point 
just  above  Kremenchug  on  the  Dnyeper;  southeast 
along  the  Dnyeper,  to  the  mouth  of  the  Orel; 
northeast,  following  the  Orel  but  some  distance  to 
the  north  of  It,  and  with  a  long  point  northeast  to 
about  BorkI  (northeast  of  Poltava)  ;  thence  south- 
east, to  a  point  about  at  Bakhmat  on  the  Northern 
Don;  then  slightly  southwest  to  Mariupol  on  the 
Sea  of  Azov,  where  It  again  joins  the  Territory  of 
the  Nogal  Tatars.  The  Territory  of  the  Kazaks 
of  the  Don  was  its  eastern  neighbour ;  but  there  was 
no  real  differentiation  between  the  Don  Kazaks 
and  those  of  Zaporozhe.  It  was  not  uncommon 
for  men  of  either  camp  to  go  to  the  other  and  dwell 
there,  unquestioned,  perfectly  welcome,  like  mem- 
bers of  the  organisation,  at  pleasure,  returning 
home  when  affairs  or  Inclination  called. 

The  actual  origin  of  the  Kazaks  of  Zaporozhe 
and  its  date,  cannot  be  determined.  In  all  prob- 
ability, their  pioneers  were  the  men  who,  loving  a 
free  life,  followed  the  calling  of  fishermen  on  the 
lower  Dnyeper,  and  hunted  wild  animals  on  the 
surrounding  steppe  of  the  region,  known  as 
Nizovya  —  the  lowlands  —  near  the  Black  Sea. 
In  course  of  time  they  organised,  to  repel  the  raids 
of  the  Turks,  [Tatars  and  Poles.  In  short,  they 
were  the  result  of  the  eternal  conflict  between  the 


24  INTRODUCTION 

settled,  agricultural  life,  and  the  nomadic  free- 
booter life  of  the  plains. 

The  Falls  or  Rapids  from  which  the  actors  In 
Gogol's  story  derived  their  name,  Zaporozhtzl  — 
the  Kazaks  of  *' Beyond  the  Rapids" — begin 
about  ten  miles  betow  Yekatefinoslav  (Katherine's 
Glory),  on  the  Dnyeper,  the  worst  of  them,  about 
half  a  mile  in  length,  bearing  the  suggestive  title  of 
"  Nenasytetz,"  the  Insatiable.  In  the  tract  below 
the  Insatiable  was  situated  the  famous  capital  of 
Zaporozhe,  the  Syech  —  or,  In  the  soft.  Little  Rus- 
sian variant  of  Russia,  the  SIcha.  Syech  or  SIcha 
means,  simply,  a  cutting  or  clearing  in  the  forest. 
Obviously,  that  was  precisely  the  origin  of  the 
name.  As  there  existed,  at  different  times,  at  least 
eight  Syechs  (possibly  ten) ,  It  is  not  surprising  that 
the  location  of  the  capital  should  appear  to  the 
reader  decidedly  indefinite,     m 

About  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  miles  below 
Yekaterinoslav,  opposite  Alexandrovsk,  in  the 
Dnyeper,  lies  the  Island  of  Khortitza,  where  stood 
the  first  Syech.  Originally  —  so  the  ancient  Greek 
chronicles  state  —  this  beautiful  island  held  a  mon- 
astery inhabited  by  many  monks.  The  Russians, 
it  is  said,  had  regarded  it  as  a  sacred  place,  and 
(before  the  introduction  of  Christianity)  sacri- 
ficed there  to  their  deities  birds,  and  even  the 
highly-prized  dogs   of  the   sort  now  known   as 


INTRODUCTION  25 

Borzoi,  or  Russian  Wolf-hounds.  Here,  in  the 
beginning  of  1550,  Dmitry  Vishnevetzky  built  a 
fortress,  and  assembled  kazakdom  around  him. 
Vishnevetzky  was  a  fairly  wealthy  magnate,  owner 
of  several  villages  in  southern  Volhynla.  Instead 
of  following  the  example  of  the  men  of  his  day  and 
modestly  increasing  and  rounding  out  his  *'  for- 
tune," he  devoted  himself  to  the  fashionable  sport 
of  the  period  on  the  Border  Marches  —  fighting 
the  Tatars.  He  entered  the  public  arena  in  1540, 
but,  not  content  with  defensive  fighting,  such  as 
was  carried  on  by  the  Border  Chieftains,  and  mag- 
nates, he  made  up  his  mind  to  realise,  in  concrete 
form,  the  idea  evidently  cherished  by  many  people 
of  that  epoch,  but,  so  far,  not  put  into  execution, 
and  built  a  castle  on  the  Islands  of  the  Dnyeper,  as 
a  bulwark  against  the  Tatars.  This  Idea  of 
Vishnevetzky  to  found  a  permanent,  strongly-forti- 
fied position  on  an  Island  of  the  Dnyeper,  did  not 
fail  to  exercise  an  influence  on  the  existing  tend- 
ency to  connect  the  winter  camps  of  the  hunters  and 
fishermen  into  a  chain  of  small  fortresses  defended 
by  stockades,  which,  in  turn,  connected  with  a  cen- 
tral kosh,  or  camp,  whose  ruler  was  the  Koshevoi 
—  the  chief  of  the  camp  —  on  the  Lowlands. 
But  Vishnevetzky's  experiment  with  Khortitza 
Castle  proved  that  no  reliance  could  be  placed  on 
strong  walls  and  cannon  as  defences  against  the 


26  INTRODUCTION 

Turks  and  the  Tatars,  who  would  find  means  for 
overcoming  them.  In  January,  1557,  the  Khan  of 
the  Crimea  attacked  Khortitza  Castle,  in  vain:  but 
it  was  evident  that  some  inaccessible  location  must 
be  chosen;  so  the  Sicha  began  to  lead  a  nomadic 
life,  like  its  inhabitants.  The  original  kuren, 
which  came,  in  the  end,  to  signify  a  large  barrack 
(and  the  troop  which  occupied  it),  was  a  small 
wooden  shack,  mounted  on  wheels,  which  enabled 
it  to  gallop  after  its  owner,  when  the  Sicha  began 
its  wanderings  among  the  labyrinth  of  islands, 
shallows  and  bays,  where  the  estuary  of  the 
Dnyeper  ebbed  and  flowed.  Such  a  Sicha  could 
not,  obviously,  be  made  a  centre  all  at  once,  and  its 
origin,  in  the  usual  sense,  must  be  ascribed  to  the 
ten  years  or  so  following  Vishnevetzky's  experi- 
ment and  failure.  It  moved  on  down  the  Dyneper 
in  agile  bounds  —  and  then  returned,  apparently, 
twice,  to  locations  close  to  some  previously  occu- 
pied and  abandoned. 

The  pathetic  picture  of  the  old  Kazak  gazing  out 
across  the  Black  Sea  and  mourning  for  his  Ostap 
would  suggest  that  the  Syech  to  which  Bulba  re- 
turned after  the  defeat  might  have  been  Number 
Seven  —  the  one  situated  at  Aleshki,  twelve  miles 
from  Kherson,  on  the  salty  lagoon  of  the  Dnyeper 
—  one  of  the  famous  ''  limans  "  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  the  Black  Sea,  whose  bottom-slime  consti- 


INTRODUCTION  27 

tutes  a  famous  remedy  for  scrofula,  gout,  rheu- 
matism, nervous  and  cutaneous  diseases.  This 
Syech,  which  lasted  for  twenty-five  years  (their 
existence  was,  as  a  rule,  rather  brief),  was  the 
only  one  within  easy  riding  distance  of  the  Black 
Sea.  But  the  statement  that  the  Syech  was  then 
situated  at  Khortitza  contradicts  such  a  theory. 
That  statement  also  proves  that  the  *'  Union  '* 
alluded  to  was  the  political  arrangement  described 
in  my  Footnote.  Another  "  Union  "  equally  fa- 
mous and  productive  of  battle  deserves  mention 
under  existing  circumstances,  although  later  in 
date  by  at  least  thirty  years  (presumably)  than 
the  death  of  Taras. 

That  "  Union,'*  originated  by  a  couple  of  Bish- 
ops in  southwest  Russia,  who  had  good  cause  to 
apprehend  expulsion  at  the  hands  of  the  authori- 
ties of  the  Orthodox  Greco-Russian  Church,  began 
in  1596,  and  consisted  of  a  so-called  union  with  the 
Roman  Church.  These  bishops  acknowledged 
the  headship  of  the  Pope  of  Rome,  and  stipulated 
not  only  that  they  were  to  retain  their  places,  but 
that  their  "  Uniate  '*  Church  was  to  retain  its  own 
language  —  Old  Church  Slavonic  —  and  its  own 
customs.  They  promised,  in  return  (in  the  cus- 
tomary over-confident,  grandiloquent  style),  the 
adhesion  of  the  whole  Russian  Church  to  this  un- 
authorised,   secret    compact.     They    were   never 


28  INTRODUCTION 

able  to  keep  the  bargain,  and  a  suggestion  of 
the  intense  hatred  and  opposition  to  that  hybrid 
church,  and  of  the  increased  bitterness  towards  the 
Roman  Church,  is  conveyed  in  this  story. 

In  the  course  of  the  centuries  which  have  fol- 
lowed this  hybrid  church  has  been  imposed,  by  mis- 
representation and  by  force,  on  many  inhabitants 
of  Galicia,  and  Orthodox  Slavs  along  the  western 
borderland;  and  the  compact  regarding  the  reten- 
tion of  their  customs  has  been  violated  by  the  im- 
position of  the  newest  Roman  dogmas, —  the  infal- 
libility of  the  Pope,  the  Immaculate  Conception, 
and  others.  That  "  Uniate  "  Church  is  more  com- 
monly known  as  '*  the  Greek  Catholic  Church," 
meaning  "  the  Roman  Church  of  the  Greek  Rite," 
In  contradistinction  to  the  ancient,  original  Chris- 
tian church,  the  Orthodox  Greco-Russian  Catholic 
Apostolic  Church  of  the  East.  Thousands  of 
immigrants  to  the  United  States  from  Galicia 
belong  to  this  church  —  and  many  thousands  of 
them,  including  their  priests,  who  did  belong  to  It 
in  the  old  country,  have  abandoned  It  here  and 
returned  to  the  church  of  their  fathers,  the  Rus- 
sian Orthodox  Church,  chiefly  In  consequence  of 
the  attempts  which  have  been  made  here  to 
deprive  them  of  the  last  remnants  of  their  ancient 
customs,  including  their  married  priesthood,  and 


INTRODUCTION  29 

the  Chrismation  (Confirmation)  of  infants  at 
their  Baptism.  The  question  of  this  "  Uniate  " 
Church  is  playing  a  very  large  role  in  the  present 
great  European  War,  which  is  known  in  Russia 
(partly  because  of  this  point  which  worried  old 
Taras)  as  *'  The  War  of  Liberation." 

Of  Gogol  and  his  work  in  general,  and  of  Taras 
Bulba  In  particular,  it  is  not  necessary  to  speak  at 
length.  It  is  less  indispensable  now  than  it  was 
when,  many  years  ago,  I  published  translations  of 
Dead  Souls;  some  of  the  Tales  from  a  Farm-house 
near  Dikanko  and  its  sequel  Mirgorod;  and  of 
Taras  Bulba,  which  forms  part  of  the  last-named 
volume.  (The  present  version  of  Taras  Bulba 
has  been  so  completely  revised  that  it  is  practically 
new.) 

It  will  suffice  to  say  that  Nikolai  V.  Gogol  was 
born  in  the  hamlet  of  Sorochintzl,  situated  on  the 
borders  of  Poltava  and  Mirgorod  counties,  In  the 
Government  of  Poltava,  on  March  12  (some  say 
March  19),  Old  Style,  1 809^  and  died  on  February 
21  (Old  Style),  1852.  The  first  of  his  Tales 
from  a  Farm-house  was  published  In  1830. 
Mirgorod,  the  fresh  series,  came  out  in  book  form 
In  1835.  Taras  Bulba  and  most  of  the  tales  In 
that  volume,  as  In  the  first,  were  of  the  same  gen- 
eral romantic  or  fantastic  character.     The  rest 


30  INTRODUCTION 

were  of  the  naturalistic  type  which  earned  for  him, 
—  in  conjunction  with  the  rest  —  the  position  of 
Founder  of  the  modern  Realistic  School. 


Isabel  F.  Hapgood. 


August  9,  1915. 
New  York, 


CHAPTER  ONE 


viV. 


TARAS  BULBA 


H 


I 

"^  "IT  EY  there,  son,  turn  round.  How  ridic- 
ulous you  look  I  What's  that  priest's 
cassock  you're  wearing?  Do  all  the 
fellows  in  the  Academy  go  around  In  that  style?  " 

With  such  words  did  old  Bulba  greet  his  two 
sons  who  had  been  studying  In  the  Kiev  prepara- 
tory school,  and  had  just  returned  home  to  their 
father. 

His  boys  had  only  just  dismounted  from 
their  horses.  They  were  a  pair  of  stalwart  lads, 
who  still  wore  a  sheepishly  distrustful  look,  like 
students  just  out  of  school.  Their  strong,  healthy 
faces  were  covered  with  the  first  down,  which,  as 
yet,  had  never  been  touched  by  the  razor.  They 
were  very  much  upset  by  such  a  reception  on  the 
part  of  their  father,  and  stood  stock-still,  with  their 
eyes  fixed  upon  the  earth. 

"  Stand  still  1  Stand  still  I  Let  me  have  a  good 
look  at  you,"  he  continued,  turning  them  round, 

33 


34  TARAS  BULBA 

"How  long  your  svitkas  ^  are.  What  svitkas! 
There  never  were  such  svitkas  in  the  world  before. 
Just  run,  one  of  you!  I'll  see  whether  he  won't 
get  wound  up  in  the  skirts,  and  tumble  on  the 
ground !  " 

*'  Don't  laugh,  Dad!  "  said  the  elder  of  them, 
at  last. 

"  See  how  touchy  they  are !  Why  shouldn't  I 
laugh?" 

"  Because  you  shan't,  although  you  are  my  dad; 
but  if  you  do  laugh,  by  God,  I'll  thrash  you !  " 

"A  nice  sort  of  son  you  are!  What!  Your 
dad?  "  said  Taras  Bulba,  retreating  several  paces 
in  amazement. 

**  Yes,  even  my  father.  I  don't  stop  to  consider 
who  deals  the  insult,  and  I  spare  no  one." 

*'  So  you  want  to  fight  me  ?     With  your  fists  ?  " 

"  Any  way." 

"  Well,  come  on  with  your  fists,"  said  Taras 
Bulba,  stripping  up  his  sleeves.  "  I'll  see  what 
sort  of  a  fellow  you  are  at  a  fight." 

And  father  and  son,  in  place  of  a  friendly  greet- 
ing after  long  separation,  began  to  plant  heavy 
blows  on  each  other's  ribs,  back  and  chest,  now  re- 
treating and  taking  each  other's  measure  with  side- 
long glances,  now  attacking  afresh. 

lA   half-long  upper   garment  of  cloth,   used   by  the   South 
Russians.    I.  F.  H. 


TARAS  BULBA  35 

"  Look,  good  people !  The  old  man  has  gone 
mad!  he  has  lost  his  wits  completely!  "  screamed 
their  thin,  pale  old  mother,  who  was  standing  on 
the  threshold  and  had  not  yet  managed  to  embrace 
her  darling  boys.  "  The  children  have  come 
home,  we  have  not  seen  them  for  over  a  year;  and 
now  the  Lord  only  knows  what  he  has  taken  into 
his  head  —  he's  pummelling  them!  " 

"  Yes,  he's  a  glorious  fighter,"  said  Bulba,  paus- 
ing; "  by  God!  that  was  a  good  one!  "  he  contin- 
ued, somewhat  as  though  he  were  excusing  him- 
self; "  yes,  although  he  has  never  tried  his  hand  at 
it  before.  He'll  make  a  good  kazak !  Now,  wel- 
come, my  lad,  let's  greet  each  other;  "  and  father 
and  son  began  to  exchange  kisses.  "  Good,  little 
son !  see  that  you  thrash  every  one  else  as  you  have 
thrashed  me;  don't  you  knuckle  under  to  any  one. 
All  the  same,  your  outfit  is  ridiculous  —  What's 
this  rope  hanging  here  ?  —  And  you,  you  clumsy 
lout,  why  are  you  standing  there  with  your  arms 
dangling?"  said  he,  turning  to  the  younger  lad. 
"  How  about  you,  you  son  of  a  dog  —  why  don't 
you  also  give  me  a  licking?  " 

*'  There's  another  of  his  crazy  ideas !  "  said  the 
mother,  who  had  managed,  in  the  meantime,  to  em- 
brace the  younger  boy.  "  Who  ever  heard  of  such 
a  thing  as  a  man's  own  children  beating  him? 
That  will  do  for  the  present:  the  child  is  young,  he 


36  TARAS  BULBA 

has  had  a  long  journey,  he  is  tired."  (The  child 
was  over  twenty,  and  about  seven  feet  tall. )  "  He 
ought  to  rest  and  eat  something;  and  he  sets  him  to 
fighting !  " 

"  Oho,  I  see  that  youVe  been  raised  a  pet ! ''  said 
Bulba.  *' Don't  listen  to  your  mother,  my  son; 
she's  a  woman,  she  doesn't  know  anything.  What 
do  you  want  with  petting?  Your  petting  is  a  clear 
field  and  a  good  horse, —  that's  what  it  is !  And 
do  you  see  this  sword?  that's  your  mother!  All 
the  rest  of  the  things  with  which  they  stuff  your 
head  is  rubbish;  the  academy,  books,  primers, 
philosophy,  and  all  that,  the  devil  only  knows  what, 
I  spit  upon  it  all !  "  And  here  Bulba  added  a  word 
which  is  not  used  in  print  *'  But  here,  now,  this 
is  the  best  of  all :  I'll  take  you  to  Zaporozhe  ^ 
next  week.  There's  where  you'll  find  the  sort  of 
science  that's  the  real  thing.  That's  the  school  for 
you:  only  there  will  you  acquire  sense." 

"  And  are  they  to  stay  at  home  only  one  week?  " 
said  the  thin,  old  mother  piteously,  with  tears  in  her 
eyes.  "  The  poor  boys  will  have  no  chance  to  go 
about,  no  chance  to  get  acquainted  with  the  home 
where  they  were  born ;  I  shall  not  have  a  chance  to 
feast  my  eyes  upon  them  to  the  full." 

"  Stop  that,  stop  your  howling,  old  woman !     A 

^The  Kazak  country  beyond   (za)  the  Rapids   (porozhe)   of 
the  Dnyeper.    I.  F.  H. 


TARAS  BULBA  37 

kazak  is  not  born  to  run  around  with  women. 
You'd  like  to  hide  them  both  under  your  petticoat, 
and  sit  upon  them  as  if  they  were  hen's  eggs.  Go, 
get  along  with  you,  and  let  us  have  everything  there 
is  on  the  table  in  a  trice.  We  don't  want  any  pas- 
try puffs,  honey-cakes,  poppy-cakes,  or  any  other 
messes:  bring  us  a  whole  sheep,  give  us  a  goat, 
mead  forty  years  old,  and  as  much  corn-brandy  as 
possible,  not  with  raisins  and  all  sorts  of  frills,  but 
plain,  sparkling  brandy,  which  foams  and  hisses 
like  mad." 

Bulba  led  his  sons  into  the  best  room  of  the 
cottage;  and  two  handsome  women  servants,  in 
coin  necklaces,  who  were  putting  the  rooms  in 
order,  ran  out  quickly.  Evidently,  they  were 
frightened  by  the  arrival  of  the  young  men,  who 
did  not  care  to  be  familiar  with  any  one;  or  else 
they  merely  wanted  to  maintain  their  feminine 
custom  of  screaming  and  rushing  off  headlong  at 
the  sight  of  a  man,  and  then  screening  their  lively 
shame  for  a  long  time  with  their  sleeves.  The 
room  was  furnished  in  accordance  with  the  fashion 
of  that  period, —  concerning  which  vivid  hints 
still  linger  in  the  songs  and  epic  lyrics,  that  are  no 
longer  sung  in  the  Ukraina,  by  bearded  old  blind 
men,  to  the  gentle  thrumming  of  the  bandura,  in 
the  presence  of  the  people  thronging  about  them, 
—  in  the  taste  of  that  warlike  and  troublous  time, 


38  TARAS  BULBA 

when  skirmishes  and  battles  began  to  occur  in  the 
Ukraina  over  the  Union/  Everything  was  neat, 
plastered  with  coloured  clay.  On  the  walls  hung 
sabres,  kazak  whips,  nets  for  birds,  fishing-nets 
and  guns,  cleverly  carved  powder-horns,  gilded 
bits  for  horses,  and  hobble-chains  with  silver  disks. 
The  windows  were  small,  with  round,  dull  panes, 
such  as  are  to  be  found  nowadays  only  in  ancient 
churches,  through  which  it  was  impossible  to  see 
without  raising  the  one  movable  pane.  Around 
the  windows  and  doors  ran  incised  bands  painted 
red.  On  shelves  in  the  corners  stood  jugs,  bottles 
and  flasks  of  green  and  blue  glass,  carved  silver 
cups,  and  gilded  goblets  of  various  makes, —  Vene- 
tian, Turkish,  Cherkessian, —  which  had  ar- 
rived in  Bulba's  cottage  by  various  roads,  at  third 
and  fourth  hand,  something  which  was  quite  of 
common  occurrence  in  those  doughty  days. 
There  were  birch  benches  all  round  the  walls,  a 
huge  table  under  the  holy  pictures  in  the  corner  of 
honour,  and  a  capacious  oven  all  covered  with 
parti-coloured  tiles,  with  projections,  recesses  and 
an  annex  at  the  rear.  All  this  was  extremely 
familiar  to  our  two  young  men,  who  had  come 
home  every  year  during  the  holidays  —  and  had 
come  because  they  had  no  horses,  as  yet,  and  be- 

1  The  projected  union  between  Poland  and  Lithuania,  to  in- 
clude also  Little  Russia:  (effected  in  1569,  at  Liublin).    I.  F.  H. 


TARAS  BULBA  39 

cause  It  was  not  customary  to  permit  the  students 
to  ride  on  horseback.  All  they  had  was  long 
scalp-locks,  which  every  kazak  who  bore  arms  was 
entitled  to  pull.  It  was  only  at  the  end  of  their 
course  that  Bulba  sent  them,  from  his  stud,  a 
couple  of  young  staUions. 

Bulba,  to  celebrate  the  arrival  of  his  sons,  or- 
dered all  the  Sotniks  ^  and  all  the  officers  of  the 
troop  who  were  of  any  consequence,  to  be  sum- 
moned; and  when  two  of  them  arrived  with  the 
Yesaul  ^  Dmitro  Tovkach,  his  old  comrade,  he 
Immediately  presented  his  boys,  saying:  "Just 
look  at  them;  aren't  they  gallant  lads !  I  shall  send 
them  to  the  Syech  ^  shortly."  The  guests  con- 
gratulated Bulba  and  both  the  young  men,  and 
told  them  they  were  engaged  in  good  business,  and 
that  there  was  no  better  knowledge  for  a  young 
man  than  a  knowledge  of  the  Zaporozhian  Syech. 

"  Now,  my  friends,  seat  yourselves,  each  where 
It  pleases  him  best,  at  table.  Now,  my  lads,  first 
of  all  let's  have  a  drink  of  brandy !  "  Thus  spake 
Bulba.  "  God's  blessing  be  on  us !  Welcome, 
dear  sons;  you,  Ostap,  and  you,  Andrii.  God 
grant  that  you  may  always  be  successful  in  war! 
That  you  may  beat  the  Mussulmans,  and  beat  the 

1  Lieutenant  in  the  rest  of  the  army.     I.  F.  H. 

2  Captain  of  Kazaks.     I.  F.  H. 

2  A"he  headquarters  of  the  Zaporozhian  Kazaks.     I.  F.  H. 


40  TARAS  BULBA  I 

Turks,  and  beat  the  Tatars;  and. when  the  Poles 
undertake  any  expedition  against  our  Faith,  then 
may  you  give  the  Poles  a  drubbing  also.  Now, 
hold  out  your  glasses, —  well,  and  is  the  brandy 
good?  What's  brandy  In  Latin?  Somehow,  my 
lad,  the  Latins  were  stupid :  they  didn't  know  there 
was  such  a  thing  in  the  world  as  corn-brandy. 
What  the  deuce  was  the  name  of  the  man  who  used 
to  write  Latin  rhymes?  Pm  not  very  strong  on 
reading  and  writing,  so  I  don't  quite  remember. 
Was  it  Horace?  " 

"  Did  any  one  ever  see  such  a  dad! ''  thought 
the  elder  son,  Ostap.  "  The  old  dog  knows  every- 
thing, but  he's  always  shamming." 

"  I  don't  believe  the  Archimandrite  ^  allowed 
you  so  much  as  a  smell  of  brandy,"  Taras  went  on. 
"  Come,  confess,  my  lads,  they  beat  you  with  fresh 
birch-switches  on  your  backs  and  everything  else 
that  a  kazak  owns;  and  perhaps  when  you  grew 
conceited  with  what  you  knew,  they  flogged  you 
with  whips.  And  not  on  Saturday  only,  I  fancy, 
but  of  a  Wednesday  and  a  Thursday,  as  well." 

"  There's  no  good  in  recalling  the  past,  Dad," 
replied  Ostap;  "  that's  all  over  and  done  with." 

"  Just  let  'em  try  it  now  I  "  said  Andrii.     "  Just 

1  Abbot.    Education  was  in  the  hands  of  the  monasteries  of 
that  day  in  Kiev.     I.  F.  H, 


TARAS  BULBA  41 

let  anybody  meddle  with  me  now;  just  let  any 
Tatar  gang  come  along  now  and  they'll  learn  what 
a  kazak's  sword  is  like." 

"  Good,  my  son,  by  God,  good!  And  when  it 
comes  to  that,  I'll  go  with  you;  by  God,  I  will! 
Why  the  devil  should  I  tarry  here  ?  To  become  a 
sower  of  buckwheat  and  a  housekeeper,  to  tend 
sheep  and  swine,  and  fondle  my  wife?  Devil  take 
them !  Tm  a  kazak ;  Til  have  none  of  them !  I'll 
go*  with  you  to  Zaporozhe  to  carouse,  by  God,  I 
will!  "  And  Bulba  gradually  grew  warmer  and 
warmer,  and  at  last  rose  from  the  table,  and  in  a 
thorough  rage,  striking  a  majestic  pose,  he 
stamped  his  foot.  "  We'll  go  to-morrow !  Why 
tarry?  What  enemy  can  we  besiege  here? 
What's  this  cottage  to  us?  What  do  we  want  of 
all  this?  What  are  pots  to  us?  "  So  saying,  he 
began  to  smash  the  pots  and  flasks,  and  hurl  them 
about. 

The  poor  old  woman,  well  used  to  such  be- 
haviour on  the  part  of  her  husband,  looked  sadly 
on  from  her  seat  on  the  wall-bench.  She  did  not 
dare  to  say  anything;  but  when  she  heard  the  de- 
cbion  which  was  so  terrible  for  her,  she  could 
not  refrain  from  tears.  She  looked  at  her  chil- 
dren, from  whom  so  speedy  a  separation  was 
thn^atened,  and  It  Is  impossible  to  describe  the 


I 


42  TARAS  BULBA 

full  force  of  the  speechless  grief  that  seemed 
to  quiver  in  her  eyes  and  on  her  lips,  which  were 
convulsively  pressed  together. 

Bulba  was  terribly  headstrong.  His  was  one 
of  those  characters  which  could  arise  only  in  that 
troublous  sixteenth  century,  in  that  half-nomadic 
corner  of  Europe,  when  the  whole  of  Southern, 
primeval  Russia,  deserted  by  its  Princes,  was  laid 
waste,  burned  to  ashes  by  savage  hordes  of  Mon- 
golian bandits;  when  a  man,  deprived  of  house 
and  home  became  recklessly  brave  here;  when, 
amid  conflagrations,  in  sight  of  threatening  neigh- 
bours, and  eternal  danger,  he  settled  down  and 
grew  used  to  looking  them  squarely  in  the  face, 
having  unlearned  the  knowledge  that  there  was 
such  a  thing  as  fear  in  the  world;  when  the  an- 
cient, peaceable  Slav  spirit  was  seized  with  a  war- 
like flame,  and  there  was  instituted  Kazakdom, — 
a  free,  wild  manifestation  of  Russian  nature, — 
and  when  all  the  river-country,  the  lands  down 
stream,  the  slopes  of  the  river  banks  and  con- 
venient sites  were  populated  by  kazaks  whose  num- 
ber no  man  knew,  and  whose  bold  comrades  had 
a  right  to  reply  to  the  Sultan's  inquiry  as  to  hew 
many  there  were  of  them,  "Who  knows?  We 
are  scattered  all  over  the  steppe:  wherever  there 
is  a  hillock,  there,  also  is  a  Kazak."  It  was.,  in 
fact,  a  most  remarkable  manifestation  of  Ru^isian 


TARAS  BULBA  43 

strength;  dire  necessity  wrested  it  from  the  bosom 
of  the  people.  In  place  of  the  original  princi- 
palities were  small  towns  filled  with  huntsmen  and 
dog-keepers,  in  place  of  the  warring  and  bartering 
petty  Princes  in  cities,  there  arose  great  colonies, 
hamlets,  and  districts  bound  together  by  a  com- 
mon danger,  and  by  hatred  toward  the  heathen 
robbers.  Every  one  already  knows  from  history 
how  their  incessant  fighting  and  roving  life  saved 
Europe  from  the  savage  invasions  which  threat- 
ened to  overwhelm  her.  The  Polish  Kings,  find- 
ing themselves,  in  place  of  the  Appanage  Princes, 
sovereigns  —  though  distant  and  feeble, —  over 
those  vast  territories,  understood,  nevertheless, 
the  significance  of  the  kazaks,  and  the  advantages 
of  this  warlike,  lawless  life.  They  encouraged 
them  and  flattered  this  propensity.  Under  their 
distant  rule,  the  Hetmans,  chosen  from  among 
the  kazaks  themselves,  transformed  the  districts 
and  hamlets  into  regiments  and  uniform  provinces. 
It  was  not  an  army  in  the  regulation  sense,  no  one 
would  have  noticed  its  existence;  but  in  case  of  a 
war  or  a  general  uprising,  it  required  a  week  and 
no  more,  for  every  man  to  make  his  appearance 
on  horseback,  fully  armed,  receiving  only  one 
ducat  in  payment  from  the  King;  and  in  two  weeks, 
such  an  army  was  assembled  as  no  recruiting  of- 
ficers would  ever  have  been  able  to  collect.     When 


44  TARAS  BULBA 

the  campaign  was  ended,  the  warrior  went  back  to 
the  fields  and  meadows,  and  the  lower  reaches  of 
the  Dnyeper,  fished,  traded,  brewed  his  beer,  and 
was  a  free  kazak  once  more.  His  foreign  con- 
temporaries rightly  marvelled  at  his  wonderful 
qualities.  There  was  no  trade  which  the  kazak 
did  not  know;  he  could  distil  brandy,  build  a  peas- 
ant cart,  make  powder,  do  blacksmithing  and  lock- 
smithing  —  and,  in  addition,  amuse  himself 
madly,  drinking  and  carousing  as  only  a  Russian 
can, —  all  this  he  was  equal  to.  Besides  the  regis- 
tered kazaks,  who  considered  themselves  bound 
to  present  themselves  in  time  of  war,  it  was  pos- 
sible to  collect  at  any  time,  in  case  of  dire  need,  a 
whole  army  of  volunteers.  All  that  was  required 
was  that  the  Captains  should  traverse  all  the 
market-places  and  squares  of  the  villages  and  ham- 
lets, and  shout  at  the  top  of  their  voices,  as  they 
stood  erect  in  their  carts :  *'  Hey,  ye  beer-sellers 
and  beer-brewers !  Have  done  with  brewing  and 
with  lolling  on  your  ovens,  and  feeding  the  flies 
with  your  fat  bodies !  Go,  win  glory  and  knightly 
honour  I  Ye  ploughmen,  ye  sowers  of  buckwheat, 
cease  to  follow  the  plough  and  to  soil  your  yellow 
buskins  in  the  earth,  and  court  women,  and  waste 
your  knightly  strength!  'Tis  time  to  win  kazak 
glory  I  "  and  these  words  acted  like  sparks  falling 
on  dry  wood.     The  husbandman  broke  his  plough, 


TARAS  BULBA  45 

the  beer-sellers  threw  away  their  casks,  the  brewers 
destroyed  their  barrels;  the  mechanic  and  the 
merchant  sent  trade  and  shop  to  the  devil,  smashed 
the  pots  in  their  houses,  and,  every  man  jack  of 
them,  mounted  his  horse.  In  short,  the  Russian 
character  here  acquired  a  broad,  mighty  scope,  a 
powerful  exterior. 

Taras  was  one  of  the  band  of  old,  original  Colo- 
nels; he  was  born  for  warlike  emotions,  and  was 
noted  for  the  rough  uprightness  of  his  character. 
At  that  period  the  influence  of  Poland  was  be- 
ginning to  make  itself  felt  among  the  Russian 
nobility.  Many  had  already  adopted  Polish  cus- 
toms, had  introduced  luxury,  splendid  staffs  of 
servants,  hawks,  huntsmen,  dinners  and  pal- 
aces. This  was  not  to  the  taste  of  Taras.  He 
liked  the  simple  life  of  the  kazaks,  and  quarrelled 
with  those  of  his  comrades  who  inchned  to  the 
Warsaw  party,  calling  them  the  serfs  of  the  Polish 
nobles.  Ever  turbulent,  he  regarded  himself  as  a 
legal  defender  of  the  Faith.  He  would  enter  arbi- 
trarily into  villages  where  the  sole  complaint  was 
with  regard  to  the  oppression  of  the  revenue 
farmers,  and  the  imposition  of  fresh  taxes  on  each 
hearth.  He  and  his  kazaks  would  execute  justice 
on  them;  and  he  laid  down  the  rule  for  himself, 
that  In  three  cases  It  was  always  proper  to  have 
recourse  to  the  sword:  namely,  when  warrant- 


46  TARAS  BULBA 

officers  did  not  show  due  respect  for  their  superior 
officers,  and  stood  with  their  caps  on  in  the  latter's 
presence;  or  when  any  one  made  light  of  the 
Orthodox  Faith  ^  and  did  not  observe  the  customs 
of  his  ancestors ;  and,  finally,  when  the  enemy  were 
Mussulmans  or  Turks,  against  whom  he  consid- 
ered it  permissible,  in  every  case,  to  unsheath  the 
sword  for  the  glory  of  Christianity. 

Now  he  rejoiced  In  anticipation  at  the  thought 
of  how  he  would  present  himself  with  his  two  sons 
in  the  Syech,  and  say:  "  See  what  fine  young  fel- 
lows I  have  brought  you!  "  how  he  would  intro- 
duce them  to  all  his  old  comrades,  steeled  in  war; 
how  he  would  watch  their  first  exploits  in  the  art 
of  war,  and  in  carousing,  which  was  regarded  as 
one  of  the  chief  qualities  of  a  knight.  At  first 
he  had  intended  to  send  them  forth  alone;  but  at 
the  sight  of  their  freshness,  stature  and  robust  per- 
sonal beauty,  his  martial  spirit  flamed  up  within 
him,  and  he  resolved  to  go  with  them  himself,  the 
very  next  day,  although  there  was  no  necessity  for 
this  except  his  obstinate  self-will.  He  began  at 
once  to  bustle  about  and  give  orders;  he  selected 
horses  and  trappings  for  his  young  sons,  inspected 
the  stables  and  storehouses,  and  chose  servants  to 

1  Orthodox  means,  specifically,  in  Russia,  a  member  of  the 
Greco-Russian  Church,  or  anything  connected  with  that  Church 
—  the  Catholic  Church  of  the  East.    I.  F.  H. 


TARAS  BULBA  47 

accompany  them  on  the  morrow.  He  delegated 
his  power  to  Captain  Tovkach,  and  gave,  along 
with  it,  a  strict  command  to  appear  with  his  entire 
troop  the  very  Instant  he  should  receive  a  message 
from  him  at  the  Syech.  Although  he  was  half- 
seas  over,  and  the  effects  of  his  drinking-bout  still 
lingered  in  his  brain,  he  forget  nothing;  he  even 
gave  orders  that  the  horses  should  be  watered, 
their  cribs  filled,  and  that  they  should  be  fed  with 
the  largest  and  best  wheat;  and  then  he  came  into 
the  house,  fatigued  with  all  his  labours. 

"  Well,  boys  1  We  must  sleep  now,  but  to- 
morrow we  shall  do  as  God  appoints.  Don't  pre- 
pare a  bed  for  us!  We  need  no  bed;  we'll  sleep 
out  doors." 

Night  had  only  just  clasped  the  heavens  in  her 
embrace,  but  Taras  always  went  to  bed  early.  He 
threw  himself  down  on  a  rug,  and  covered  himself 
with  a  sheepskin  coat;  for  the  night  air  was  quite 
sharp,  and  Bulba  liked  to  be  warmly  covered  when 
he  was  at  home.  He  was  soon  snoring  and  the 
whole  household  speedily  followed  his  example. 
All  snored  and  grunted  as  they  lay  In  different 
corners.  The  watchman  went  to  sleep  the  first  of 
all,  because  he  had  drunk  more  than  any  one  else, 
in  honour  of  his  young  masters'  homecoming. 

The  poor  mother  alone  slept  not.  She  bent 
over  the  pillow  of  her  darling  boys  as  they  lay  side 


48  TARAS  BULBA 

by  side;  with  a  comb  she  smoothed  their  carelessly- 
tangled  young  curls,  and  moistened  them  with  her 
tears.  She  gazed  at  them  with  her  whole  being, 
with  her  every  sense;  she  merged  herself  wholly  in 
that  gaze,  and  still  she  could  not  gaze  enough. 
She  had  nourished  them  at  her  own  breast,  she  had 
reared  them  and  petted  them ;  and  now  to  see  them 
only  for  an  instant !  "  My  sons !  my  darling  sons, 
what  will  become  of  you?  what  awaits  you?  "  she 
said,  and  tears  stood  in  the  furrows  which  dis- 
figured her  once  beautiful  face.  In  truth,  she  was 
to  be  pitied,  as  was  every  woman  in  that  valorous 
epoch.  She  had  lived  only  for  a  moment  in  love, 
only  during  the  first  fever  of  passion,  only  during 
the  first  flush  of  youth ;  and  then  her  grim  betrayer 
had  deserted  her  for  the  sword,  for  his  comrades 
and  his  carouses.  She  had  seen  her  husband  for 
two  or  three  days  in  the  course  of  a  year,  and  then 
for  a  period  of  several  years  there  had  been  no 
news  of  him.  And  when  she  had  seen  him,  when 
they  had  lived  together,  what  sort  of  a  life  had 
been  hers?  She  had  endured  insults,  even  beat- 
ings; she  had  seen  caresses  bestowed  merely  out  of 
pity;  she  had  been  a  strange  object  amid  that  mob 
of  heartless  cavaliers,  upon  which  the  dissolute  life 
of  the  Zaporozhe  had  cast  a  grim  colouring  of  its 
own.  Her  pleasureless  youth  had  flitted  swiftly 
by;  and  her  beautiful  rosy  cheeks  and  her  bosom 


TARAS  BULBA  49 

had  withered  away  unklssed,  and  become  covered 
with  premature  wrinkles.  All  her  love,  all  her 
feeling,  everything  that  is  tender  and  passionate  in 
a  woman  had,  in  her  case,  been  converted  into  the 
one  sentiment  of  maternal  love.  With  ardour, 
with  passion,  with  tears,  she  hovered  over  her 
boys,  like  a  gull  of  the  steppe.  Her  sons,  her 
darling  sons,  were  being  taken  from  her, —  taken 
from  her  in  such  a  way  that  she  might  never  see 
them  again!  Who  knows?  Perchance  a  Tatar 
would  cut  off  their  heads  in  the  very  first  skirmish, 
and  she  would  never  know  where  their  deserted 
bodies  lay,  torn  by  the  beasts  of  prey;  and  yet  for 
each  drop  of  their  blood  she  would  gladly  give  her 
whole  self.  Sobbing,  she  gazed  into  their  eyes, 
even  when  all-powerful  sleep  began  to  close  them, 
and  said  to  herself :  *'  Perhaps  when  Bulba  wakes 
he  will  put  off  their  departure  for  a  brief  day  or 
two ;  perhaps  he  took  it  into  his  head  to  go  so  soon 
because  he  had  been  drinking  hard." 

The  moon,  from  the  height  of  heaven,  had  long 
since  illuminated  the  whole  courtyard  filled  with 
sleepers,  the  dense  clump  of  willows,  and  the  tall 
steppe  grass  which  hid  the  wattled  hedge.  She 
still  sat  by  the  heads  of  her  beloved  sons,  never 
removing  her  eyes  from  them  for  a  moment,  or 
even  thinking  of  sleep.  Already  the  horses,  divin- 
ing the  approaeh  of  dawn,  had  ceased  eating,  and 


50  TARAS  BULBA 

lain  down  upon  the  grass;  the  topmost  leaves  of 
the  willows  began  to  rustle  softly,  and  little  by 
little  the  rippling  rustle  descended  to  their  very 
bases.  She  sat  there,  unwearied,  until  daylight, 
and  wished  in  her  heart  that  the  night  might  last 
as  long  as  possible.  From  the  steppe  came  the 
ringing  neigh  of  a  stallion;  red  tongues  darted 
brightly  athwart  the  sky. 

Bulba  suddenly  awoke  and  sprang  to  his  feet. 
He  remembered  perfectly  well  all  that  he  had  or- 
dered the  night  before.  "  Now,  my  lads,  time's 
up!  you've  slept  enough!  Water  the  horses! 
And  where's  the  old  woman?  "  (This  was  what 
he  generally  called  his  wife.)  "Hurry  up,  old 
woman,  get  us  something  to  eat;  we've  a  long  trip 
ahead  of  us." 

The  poor  old  woman,  deprived  of  her  last  hope, 
slipped  sadly  into  the  cottage.  While  with  tears 
she  prepared  what  was  needed  for  breakfast, 
Bulba  issued  his  orders,  went  to  the  stable,  and 
himself  selected  his  best  trappings  for  his  boys. 

The  collegians  were  suddenly  transformed. 
Red  morocco  boots  with  silver  heels  replaced  their 
dirty  old  foot-gear;  trousers  wide  as  the  Black 
Sea,  with  thousands  of  folds  and  plaits,  were  sup- 
ported by  golden  girdles;  from  the  girdles  hung 
long,  slender  thongs,  with  tassels  and  other  jingling 
things  for  pipes.     The  kazak  coat,   of  brilhant 


TARAS  BULBA  51 

scarlet  cloth,  was  confined  by  a  flowered  belt;  em- 
bossed Turkish  pistols  were  thrust  into  the  belt; 
their  swords  clanged  at  their  heels.  Their  faces, 
already  slightly  sunburned,  seemed  to  have  grown 
handsomer  and  whiter;  their  little  black  mous- 
taches now  set  off  more  distinctly  both  their  pallor 
and  their  strong,  healthy,  youthful  complexions. 
Very  handsome  were  they,  beneath  their  black 
sheepskin  caps,  with  golden  crowns. 

When  their  poor  mother  saw  them  she  could  not 
utter  a  word,  and  tears  stood  in  her  eyes. 

"  All  ready  there,  now,  sons  I  No  time  to 
waste!  "  said  Bulba,  at  last.  "  Now  we  must  all 
sit  down  together,  in  accordance  with  our  Christian 
custom  before  a  journey." 

All  seated  themselves,  not  excepting  the  serv- 
ants, who  had  been  standing  respectfully  at  the 
door. 

*'  Now,  Mother,  bless  your  children,"  said  Bul- 
ba. "  Pray  God  that  they  may  always  fight 
bravely,  always  uphold  knightly  honour,  always 
defend  the  faith  of  Christ;  and  if  not,  that  they 
may  perish,  and  their  breath  be  no  longer  in  the 
world. — ■  Come  to  your  mother,  my  boys;  a  moth- 
er's prayer  saves  on  land  and  sea." 

The  mother,  weak  as  all  mothers  are,  embraced 
them,  drew  out  two  small  holy  images,  and  sob- 
bing, hung  one  round  each  neck  — *'  May  God's 


52  TARAS  BULBA 

Mother  .  .  .  keep  you  !  My  dear  little  sons, 
forget  not  your  mother  .  .  .  send  some  little 
word  of  yourselves  ..."  she  could  say  no 
more. 

"  Now  boys,  let's  go  !  "  said  Bulba. 

By  the  porch  stood  the  horses,  ready  saddled. 
Bulba  sprang  upon  his  "  Devil  "  which  jumped 
madly  rearward,  feeling  upon  his  back  a  load  of 
twenty  puds,^  for  Taras  was  extremely  stout  and 
heavy. 

When  the  mother  saw  that  her  sons  also  were 
mounted  on  their  horses,  she  flung  herself  toward 
the  younger,  whose  features  expressed  somewhat 
more  gentleness  than  those  of  his  brother.  She 
grasped  his  stirrup,  clung  to  his  saddle,  and,  with 
despair  in  her  eyes,  would  not  loose  him  from 
her  hands.  Two  husky  kazaks  seized  her  care- 
fully, and  carried  her  Into  the  cottage.  But 
when  they  had  already  ridden  through  the  gate, 
with  all  the  agility  of  a  wild  goat,  utterly  out  of 
keeping  with  her  years,  she  rushed  through  the 
gate,  with  Irresistible  strength  stopped  a  horse, 
and  embraced  one  of  her  sons  with  a  sort  of  sense- 
less vehemence.  Then  they  led  her  away  once 
more. 

The  young  kazaks  rode  on  sadly,  repressing 
their  tears  out  of  fear  of  their  father  who,  on  his 

1  A  pud  is  about  forty  pounds.     I.  F.  H. 


TARAS  BULBA  53 

side,  was  somewhat  agitated,  although  he  strove 
not  to  show  it.  The  day  was  grey;  the  greenery 
shone  brightly;  the  birds  twittered  rather  discord- 
antly. They  glanced  back  as  they  rode  away. 
Their  farm  seemed  to  have  sunk  Into  the  earth. 
All  that  was  visible  above  the  surface  was  the  two 
chimneys  of  their  modest  cottage,  and  the  crests 
of  the  trees  up  which  they  had  been  wont  to  climb 
like  squirrels;  before  them  still  stretched  the 
meadow  by  which  they  could  recall  the  whole  his- 
tory of  their  lives,  from  the  years  when  they  had 
rolled  In  its  dewey  grass,  up  to  the  years  when 
they  had  awaited  in  it  a  black-bowed  kazak 
maiden,  who  ran  timidly  across  it  with  her  quick, 
young  feet.  And  now  only  one  pole  above  the 
well,  with  the  cart-wheel  fastened  on  top,  rises 
solitary  against  the  sky;  already  the  plain  across 
which  they  have  been  riding  appears  a  hill  in  the 
distance,  and  has  concealed  everything.  Fare- 
well childhood,  and  games,  and  everything  — 
farewell  I 


CHAPTER  TWO 


II 

ALL  three  horsemen  rode  on  In  silence. 
Old  Taras  was  thinking  of  the  distant 
past;  before  him  passed  his  youth,  his 
years  —  his  vanished  years,  over  which  the  kazak 
always  weeps,  wishing  that  his  life  might  be  all 
youth.  He  wondered  whom  of  his  former  com- 
rades he  should  meet  In  the  Syech.  He  reckoned 
up  how  many  were  already  dead,  how  many  were 
still  alive.  Tears  formed  slowly  In  his  eyes,  and 
his  grey  head  drooped  dejectedly. 

His  sons  were  occupied  with  other  thoughts. 
But  we  must  speak  more  at  length  of  his  sons. 
They  had  been  sent  at  the  age  of  twelve  years  to 
the  academy  at  Kiev,  because  all  honourable  offi- 
cials of  that  epoch  considered  It  Indispensable 
to  give  their  children  an  education,  even  if  It 
were  utterly  forgotten  afterwards.  Like  all  who 
entered  the  free  academy,  they  were  then  wild, 
having  been  reared  in  unrestricted  freedom;  and 
there,  for  the  first  time,  they  were  generally 
smoothed  down  a  bit,  and  acquired  a  certain  some- 
thing common  to  them  all,  which  caused  them 

57 


S8  TARAS  BULBA 

to  bear  a  sort  of  universal  resemblance  to  one 
another. 

The  elder,  Ostap,  began  his  career  by  running 
away  In  the  course  of  the  first  year.  He  was 
brought  back,  terribly  flogged,  and  set  down  again 
to  his  books.  Four  times  did  he  bury  his  primer 
In  the  earth;  and  four  times,  after  bestowing  upon 
him  an  inhuman  thrashing,  did  they  buy  him  a 
new  one.  But  he  would  have  repeated  his  per- 
formance for  the  fifth  time,  doubtless,  had  not  his 
father  given  him  a  solemn  assurance  that  he 
would  keep  him  at  service  in  the  monastery  for 
twenty  years,  and  had  he  not  sworn  to  start  with, 
that  he  should  never  behold  Zaporozhe  so  long 
as  he  lived,  unless  he  learned  all  the  sciences  In  the 
academy.  The  odd  point  about  It  was,  that  he 
who  said  this  was  that  same  Taras  Bulba  who  con- 
demned all  learning,  and  counselled  his  boys,  as 
we  have  seen,  not  to  trouble  themselves  about  It 
at  all.  From  that  moment,  Ostap  began  to  sit 
over  his  tiresome  books  with  extraordinary  assi- 
duity, and  before  long  he  stood  on  a  level  with  the 
best.  The  style  of  education  In  that  age  was 
widely  at  variance  with  the  manner  of  life :  these 
scholastic,  grammatical  and  theological  subtleties 
never  were  used  and  never  were  met  with  in 
real  life.  Those  who  studied  them  —  even  the 
most  scholastic  of  the  lot  —  could  never  put  their 


TARAS  BULBA  59 

knowledge  to  any  practical  use  whatsoever.  The 
most  learned  men  of  those  days  were  even  more 
Ignorant  than  the  rest,  because  they  were  entirely 
removed  from  all  experience.  Moreover,  the 
republican  constitution  of  the  academy,  the  appal- 
ling multitude  of  young,  stalwart,  healthy  fellows, 
—  all  these  factors  combined,  were  bound  to 
arouse  in  them  an  activity  quite  outside  the  limits 
of  their  studies.  Sometimes  the  poor  fare,  some- 
times the  frequent  punishments  of  fasting,  some- 
times the  numerous  requirements  which  arise  in 
fresh,  strong,  healthy  young  men,  combined  to 
arouse  In  them  that  spirit  of  enterprise  which  aft- 
erwards received  further  development  in  Zapo- 
rozhe.  The  hungry  bursary  ^  ran  about  the 
streets  of  Kiev,  and  forced  every  one  to  be  on  his 
guard.  The  huckstresses  who  sat  In  the  bazaar 
always  covered  their  patties,  their  greasy  crack- 
nels, and  their  squash-seeds  ^  with  their  hands,  like 
eagles  protecting  their  young.  If  they  but  caught  a 
glimpse  of  a  passing  student.  The  monitor  who 
was  bound  by  his  official  duty  to  control  his  com- 
rades who  were  intrusted  to  his  care,  had  such 

^A  student  who  receives  a  stipend  for  his  support  —  a  free 
student.  Still  called  bursar  in  Scotland;  at  Cambridge  Uni- 
versity, sizar;  at  Oxford,  servitor.     I.  F.  H. 

2  Russians  of  the  lower  classes  are  extremely  fond  of  chew- 
ing sunflower-seeds.  Squash-seeds  are  more  expensive, —  and,  so 
to  speak, — more   aristocratic.     I.   F.   H. 


6o  TARAS  BULBA 

frightfully  wide  pockets  to  his  full  trousers,  that 
he  could  stow  away  the  entire  contents  of  a  sloth- 
ful huckstress's  stall.  These  students  constituted 
an  entirely  separate  world  by  themselves:  they 
were  not  admitted  to  the  highest  circles,  composed 
of  Polish  and  Russian  nobles.  Even  the  Voevod, 
Adam  Kisel,  in  spite  of  the  patronage  he  bestowed 
upon  the  academy,  did  not  introduce  them  into 
society,  and  gave  orders  that  they  were  to  be 
ruled  as  strictly  as  possible.  This  command  was 
entirely  superfluous,  for  neither  the  Rector  nor 
the  monk-professors  spared  the  rod  or  the  whip; 
and  the  lictors  sometimes,  by  their  orders,  whipped 
their  monitors  so  severely  that  the  latter  rubbed 
their  trousers  for  weeks  afterwards.  This  was 
a  mere  nothing  to  many  of  them,  and  seemed  only 
a  little  stronger  than  good  vodka  with  pepper; 
others,  at  last,  grew  thoroughly  tired  of  such  con- 
stant thrashings,  and  ran  away  to  Zaporozhe,  if 
they  could  find  the  road,  and  if  they  were  not 
caught  on  the  way.  Ostap  Bulba,  although  he 
began  to  study  logic  and  even  theology  with 
much  zeal,  did  not  escape  the  merciless  rod. 
Naturally,  all  this  was  bound  in  some  degree  to 
embitter  his  character,  and  impart  to  it  that  firm- 
ness which  distinguishes  the  kazaks.  Ostap  was 
always  regarded  as  one  of  the  best  students. 
He  rarely  led  the  others  into  audacious  enter- 


TARAS  BULBA  6i 

prises,  such  as  robbing  other  people's  gardens  or 
orchards;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  he  was  always 
among  the  first  to  join  the  standard  of  an  adven- 
turous student,  and  never,  under  any  circum- 
stances whatsoever,  did  he  betray  his  comrades; 
neither  whips  nor  rods  could  make  him  do  it.  He 
bore  himself  sternly  towards  all  temptations  except 
those  of  war  and  wild  carouses:  at  any  rate,  he 
almost  never  thought  of  anything  else.  He  was 
frank  with  his  equals.  He  was  kind-hearted  in 
the  only  way  that  kindness  of  heart  could  exist  in 
such  a  character  and  at  such  an  epoch.  He  was 
sincerely  touched  by  his  poor  mother's  tears;  and 
this  one  thing  only  troubled  him  and  caused  him  to 
hang  his  head  thoughtfully. 

His  younger  brother,  Andrii,  had  rather  live- 
lier and  more  developed  feelings.  He  studied 
more  willingly,  and  without  that  effort  with  which 
strong,  heavy  characters  generally  apply  them- 
,selves.  He  was  more  inventive  than  his  brother, 
and  frequently  appeared  as  the  leader  of  decidedly 
dangerous  expeditions,  and  sometimes,  thanks  to 
the  ingenious  turn  of  his  mind,  he  contrived  to 
escape  all  punishment,  while  his  brother  Ostap, 
abandoning  all  concern,  stripped  off  his  coat,  and 
lay  down  upon  the  floor  without  a  thought  of  beg- 
ging for  mercy.  He,  also,  was  seething  with  the 
thirst  for  action;  but,  at  the  same  time,  his  soul 


62  TARAS  BULBA 

was  accessible  to  other  sentiments.  The  demand 
for  love  flamed  ardently  within  him;  when  he  had 
attained  his  eighteenth  year  woman  began  to  pre- 
sent herself  more  frequently  in  his  burning 
dreams:  while  listening  to  philosophical  discus- 
sions he  beheld  her  each  moment,  rosy,  black-eyed, 
tender;  before  him  flitted  constantly  her  gleam- 
ing, elastic  bosom,  her  soft,  beautiful  bare  arms; 
the  very  gown  which  clung  about  her  virginal  yet 
vigorous  limbs  exhaled,  in  his  visions,  a  certain 
Inexpressible  sensuousness.  He  carefully  con- 
cealed from  his  comrades  this  impulse  of  his  pas- 
sionate young  soul,  because.  In  that  age,  It  was 
considered  shameful  and  dishonourable  for  a 
kazak  to  think  of  love  and  a  wife  before  he  had 
tasted  battle.  On  the  whole,  during  the  conclud- 
ing years  of  his  course,  he  served  more  rarely 
as  the  leader  of  a  gang;  but  he  roamed  about  more 
frequently  alone  In  the  remote  corners  of  Kiev, 
buried  In  cherry-orchards,  among  low-roofed  little 
houses,  which  peeped  forth  alluringly  along  the 
street.  Sometimes  he  betook  himself  to  the  street 
of  the  aristocrats,  in  the  old  Kiev  of  to-day,  where 
dwelt  little  Russian  and  Polish  nobles,  and  where 
the  houses  were  built  In  somewhat  fanciful  style. 
Once  as  he  was  thus  lounging  along,  a  huge,  old- 
fashioned  carriage,  belonging  to  some  Polish 
nobleman,  almost  drove  over  him;  and  the  coach- 


TARAS  BULBA  63 

man,  with  very  terrible  moustaches,  who  sat  on  the 
box,  gave  him  a  decidedly  sharp  cut  with  his  whip. 
The  young  student  boiled  with  rage;  with  reckless 
daring,  he  seized  a  hind-wheel  with  his  powerful 
hand,  and  brought  the  carriage  to  a  halt.  But  the 
coachman,  fearing  a  reckoning,  lashed  his  horses; 
they  leaped  forward,  and  Andrii  although,  fortu- 
nately, he  succeeded  in  freeing  his  hand,  was  flung 
full-length  on  the  ground,  with  his  face  flat  in  the 
mud.  The  most  resonant  and  melodious  of  laughs 
rang  out  from  overhead.  He  raised  his  eyes  and 
saw,  standing  at  a  window,  a  beauty  such  as  he  had 
never  beheld  before  in  all  his  life,  black-eyed  and 
white  as  the  snow  illumined  by  the  dawning  flush 
of  the  sun.  She  was  laughing  heartily,  and  her 
laughter  lent  sparkling  force  to  her  dazzling  love- 
liness. He  was  taken  aback;  he  gazed  at  her  in 
utter  confusion,  abstractedly  wiping  the  mud  from 
his  face,  by  which  means  it  became  still  further 
smeared.  Who  could  this  beauty  be?  He  tried 
to  find  out  from  the  servants  who,  in  rich  liveries, 
stood  beside  the  gate  in  a  crowd,  surrounding  a 
young  bandura  player;  but  the  servants  raised  a 
laugh  when  they  saw  his  besmeared  face,  and 
deigned  him  no  reply.  At  last  he  learned  that 
she  was  the  daughter  of  the  Voevod  of  Kovno,  who 
had  come  hither  for  a  time.  The  following  night, 
with  the  daring  characteristic  of  the  student  alone, 


64  TARAS  BULBA 

he  crept  through  the  hedge  into  the  garden,  and 
climbed  a  tree  which  spread  its  branches  over  the 
very  roof  of  the  house.  From  the  tree  he 
crawled  ugion  the  roof,  and  made  his  way  through 
the  chimney  straight  into  the  bedroom  of  the 
beauty,  who,  at  the  moment,  was  seated  before  a 
candle,  engaged  in  removing  the  costly  earrings 
from  her  ears.  The  beautiful  Pole  was  so 
alarmed  on  suddenly  beholding  a  strange  man 
before  her,  that  she  could  not  utter  a  single  word; 
but  when  she  perceived  that  the  student  stood 
before  her  with  downcast  eyes,  not  daring  to  move 
a  hand  through  timidity,  when  she  recognised  in 
him  the  one  who  had  fallen  headlong  in  the  street 
before  her,  laughter  again  overpowered  her. 

Moreover,  there  was  nothing  terrible  in  Andrii's 
features;  he  was  very  handsome.  The  beauty 
was  giddy,  like  all  Poles;  but  her  eyes,  her 
wondrous,  clear,  piercing  eyes,  darted  a  glance  — 
a  glance  as  long  as  constancy.  The  student  could 
not  move  a  hand,  but  stood  bound  as  in  a  sack, 
when  the  Voevod's  daughter  approached  him 
boldly,  placed  upon  his  head  her  glittering  diadem, 
hung  her  earrings  on  his  lips,  and  flung  over  him  a 
transparent  muslin  chemise,  with  gold-embroidered 
garlands.  She  tricked  him  out,  and  played  a 
thousand  foolish  pranks,  with  the  unconstraint  of  a 
child,  which  distinguishes  the  giddy  Poles,  and 


1 


TARAS  BULBA  65 

which  threw  the  poor  student  into  still  greater  agi- 
tation. He  presented  a  ridiculous  figure,  as  he 
stood  staring  fixedly,  with  wide-open  mouth,  into 
her  dazzling  eyes.  At  that  moment,  a  knock  at 
the  door  startled  her.  She  ordered  him  to  con- 
ceal himself  under  the  bed,  and,  as  soon  as  the  dis- 
turbance was  past,  called  her  maid,  a  Tatar  captive, 
and  gave  her  orders  to  conduct  him  to  the  garden 
with  caution,  and  thence  send  him  away  over  the 
hedge.  But  this  time  our  student  did  not  pass  the 
hedge  so  successfully.  The  watchman  woke  up, 
and  caught  him  firmly  by  the  leg;  and  the  servants, 
assembling,  beat  him  for  a  long  time,  even  in  the 
street,  until  his  swift  legs  rescued  him.  After  that 
it  was  very  dangerous  to  pass  the  house,  because 
the  Voevod's  servitors  were  numerous.  He  en- 
countered her  once  more,  in  a  Roman  Catholic 
church.  She  saw  him,  and  smiled  very  pleasantly, 
as  at  an  old  acquaintance.  He  saw  her  yet  again, 
by  chance;  and  shortly  afterwards  the  Voevod  of 
Kovno  took  his  departure,  and  instead  of  the  beau- 
tiful, black-eyed  Pole,  some  fat  face  or  other 
gazed  from  the  window.  That  was  what  Andrii 
was  thinking  about  when  he  hung  his  head,  and 
dropped  his  eyes  on  his  horse's  mane. 

In  the  meantime,  the  steppe  had  long  since 
received  them  into  its  green  embrace;  and  the 
tall  grass,  closing  in  around  them,  concealed  them, 


66  TARAS  BULBA 

so  that  only  their  black  kazak  caps  were  visible 
among  its  spikes. 

'*  Come,  come,  why  are  you  so  quiet,  my 
lads?"  said  Bulba  at  last,  waking  from  his  own 
revery.  "  You're  like  monks.  Come,  send  all 
thinking  to  the  Devil  on  the  spot!  Take  your 
pipes  in  your  lips,  and  we'll  smoke,  and  spur  on 
our  horses,  and  fly  so  swiftly  that  no  bird  can  over- 
take us." 

And  the  kazaks,  bending  low  over  their  horses, 
disappeared  in  the  grass.  Their  black  caps  were 
no  longer  visible;  a  wake  of  trodden  grass  alone 
showed  a  trace  of  their  swift  flight. 

The  sun  had  long  since  peered  forth  from  the 
clear  heavens  and  inundated  the  steppe  with  his 
vitalising,  warming  light.  All  that  was  dim  and 
sleepy  in  the  minds  of  the  kazaks  fled  away  in  a 
twinkling;  their  hearts  fluttered  like  birds.  The 
further  they  penetrated  into  the  steppe,  the  more 
beautiful  did  it  become.  At  that  time  all  the 
South,  all  that  region  which  now  constitutes  New 
Russia,  even  to  the  Black  Sea,  was  a  green,  virgin 
wilderness.  No  plough  had  ever  passed  over  the 
immeasurable  waves  of  wild  growth;  horses  alone, 
hiding  themselves  in  it  as  in  a  forest,  trod  it  down. 
Nothing  in  Nature  could  be  finer.  The  whole 
surface  of  the  earth  looked  like  a  green-gold 
ocean,  upon  which  were  sprinkled  millions  of  dif- 


TARAS  BULBA  67 

ferent  flowers.  Through  the  tall,  slender  stems 
of  the  grass  peeped  light-blue,  dark-blue  and  lilac 
corn-flowers ;  the  yellow  broom  thrust  up  Its  pyra- 
midal head ;  the  parasol-shaped  white  flowers  of  the 
yarrow  dotted  its  surface.  A  wheat-ear,  brought 
God  knows  whence,  was  filling  out  to  ripening. 
About  their  slender  roots  ran  partridges,  with 
necks  outstretched.  The  air  was  filled  with  the 
notes  of  a  thousand  different  birds.  In  the  sky, 
motionless,  hung  the  hawks,  with  wings  out- 
spread, and  eyes  rivetted  intently  on  the  grass. 
The  cries  of  a  vast  flock  of  wild  ducks  moving  up 
on  one  side,  were  echoed  from  God  knows  what 
distant  lake.  From  the  grass  a  gull  arose  with 
measured  sweep  and  bathed  luxuriously  In  the  blue 
waves  of  air;  and  now  she  has  vanished  on  high, 
and  appears  only  as  a  black  dot!  Now  she  has 
turned  her  wings,  and  shimmers  In  the  sunlight. 
Devil  take  you,  Steppe,  how  beautiful  you  are !  .  .  . 
Our  travellers  halted  only  a  few  minutes  for 
dinner:  their  escort  of  ten  kazaks  sprang  from 
their  horses,  unbound  the  wooden  casks  of  brandy 
and  the  gourds  which  were  used  for  drinking  ves- 
sels. They  ate  only  bread  and  lard,  or  dry 
wheaten  cakes;  they  drank  but  one  cup  apiece, 
merely  to  strengthen  them  (for  Taras  Bulba 
never  permitted  intoxication  on  the  road),  and 
then  continued  their  journey  until  evening. 


68  TARAS  BULBA 

In  the  evening  the  whole  steppe  completely 
changed  its  aspect.  Its  whole  variegated  expanse 
was  bathed  in  the  last  bright  glow  of  the  sun; 
and  it  darkened  gradually,  so  that  the  shadow 
could  be  seen  as  it  flitted  across  it,  and  it  became 
dark-green.  The  mist  rose  more  densely;  each 
flower,  each  blade  of  grass,  emitted  a  fragrance  as 
of  amber,  and  an  incense  of  perfume  was  wafted 
like  smoke  across  the  whole  steppe.  Wide 
streaks  of  rosy  gold  were  flung  athwart  the  dark- 
blue  sky,  as  with  a  gigantic  brush;  here  and  there 
gleamed  white  tufts  of  light,  and  transparent 
clouds;  and  the  coolest,  most  bewitching  of  little 
breezes  barely  rocked  the  tops  of  the  grass-blades 
like  sea  waves,  and  only  just  caressed  the  cheek. 
All  the  music  which  had  resounded  throughout  the 
day  had  died  away,  and  given  place  to  another. 
The  striped  marmots  crept  out  of  their  holes, 
stood  erect  on  their  hind  legs,  and  filled  the  steppe 
with  their  whistling.  The  whirr  of  the  grasshop- 
pers became  more  distinctly  audible.  Sometimes 
the  cry  of  a  swan  was  audible  from  some  distant 
lake,  and  rang  through  the  air  like  silver.  The 
travellers  halted  in  the  middle  of  the  plain, 
selected  a  spot  for  their  night  encampment,  made 
a  fire,  hung  over  it  a  kettle  in  which  they  cooked 
their  buckwheat  groats;  the  steam  rose  and 
floated  aslant  in  the   air.     Having  supped,   the 


TARAS  BULBA  69 

kazaks  lay  down  to  sleep,  after  hobbling  their 
horses,  and  turning  them  out  to  graze.  They  lay 
down  on  their  cloth  coats.  The  nocturnal  stars 
gazed  directly  down  upon  them.  They  heard 
the  countless  myriads  of  insects  which  filled  the 
grass;  all  their  rasping,  whistling,  and  whirring 
resounded  clearly  through  the  night,  purified  by 
the  cool  air,  and  lulled  the  drowsy  ear.  If  one 
of  them  rose  and  stood  for  a  while,  the  steppe 
presented  itself  to  him  spangled  with  the  sparks 
of  glow-worms.  At  times  the  night  sky  was 
illumined  in  spots  by  the  glare  of  dry  reeds  which 
were  burning  along  pools  or  river-bank;  and  a 
dark  file  of  swans  flying  northward,  was  suddenly 
lighted  up  by  the  silvery-rose  hued  gleam,  and  then 
it  seemed  as  though  crimson  kerchiefs  were  float- 
ing across  the  dark  heavens. 

The  travellers  rode  onward  without  any  adven- 
tures. They  came  across  no  villages.  There 
was  nothing  but  the  same  boundless,  undulating, 
wondrously  beautiful  steppe.  At  intervals  the 
crests  of  forests  loomed  blue  in  the  distance,  on 
one  hand,  where  they  stretched  along  the  banks  of 
the  Dnyeper.  But  once  Taras  pointed  out  to  his 
sons  a  small  black  speck  far  away  in  the  grass, 
saying,  **  Look,  boys!  yonder  gallops  a  Tatar." 
The  tiny  moustached  head  fixed  its  eyes  straight 
upon  them,  from  the  distance,  sniffing  the  air  like 


70  TARAS  BULBA 

a  greyhound,  then  disappeared,  like  a  stag,  on  per- 
ceiving that  the  kazaks  were  thirty  strong. 
*'  And  now,  my  lads,  try  to  overtake  the  Tatar ! 
But  don't  try:  you  would  never  catch  him  to  all 
eternity;  his  horse  is  swifter  than  my  Devil." 
Nevertheless,  Bulba  took  precautions,  fearing 
there  might  be  hidden  ambushes  here  or  there. 
They  galloped  to  a  small  stream  called  the 
Tatarka,  which  emptied  into  the  Dnyeper,  rode 
their  horses  into  the  water,  and  swam  down  it  a 
long  time  to  conceal  their  trail;  and  then,  climbing 
out  on  the  shore,  they  continued  on  their  way. 

Three  days  later  they  were  not  far  from  the 
place  which  formed  the  goal  of  their  journey. 
The  air  grew  suddenly  colder:  they  could  feel  the 
vicinity  of  the  Dnyeper.  And  yonder  it  gleamed 
afar  off,  distinguishable  as  a  dark  streak  against 
the  horizon.  It  exhaled  waves  of  cold  air,  and 
spread  nearer,  nearer,  and  finally  embraced  half 
the  entire  surface  of  the  earth.  This  was  the  part 
of  the  Dnyeper  where  the  river,  hitherto  confined 
by  the  rapids,  at  last  forced  its  way  freely,  and 
roared  like  the  sea,  pouring  forth  at  will  where 
the  islands,  flung  into  its  midst,  pressed  it  further 
from  the  shores,  and  its  waves  spread  broadly 
over  the  earth,  encountering  neither  cliffs  nor  hills. 
The  kazaks  ahghted  from  their  horses,  entered 
the  ferry-boat,  and  after  a  sail  of  three  hoyrs' 


TARAS  BULBA  71 

duration,  arrived  at  the  shore  of  the  Island  of 
Khortitza,  where,  at  that  time,  was  situated  the 
Syech,  which  so  often  changed  its  location. 

A  throng  of  people  on  the  shore  were  quarrel- 
ling with  the  ferrymen.  The  kazaks  made  ready 
their  horses.  Taras  assumed  a  stately  air,  pulled 
his  belt  tighter,  and  drew  his  hand  proudly  over 
his  moustache.  His  young  sons  also  inspected 
themselves  from  head  to  foot,  with  some  appre- 
hension and  an  undefined  feeling  of  satisfaction; 
then  all  set  out  together  for  the  suburb,  which  was 
half  a  verst  ^  from  the  Syech.  On  their  arrival 
they  were  deafened  by  fifty  blacksmiths'  hammers 
beating  upon  twenty-five  anvils  sunk  in  the  earth, 
and  concealed  with  turf.  Stalwart  tanners  sat  on 
the  street  beneath  their  sloping  roofs,  scraping 
ox-hides  with  their  strong  hands;  shopkeepers  sat 
in  their  booths  with  piles  of  flints,  steel  and 
powder;  an  Armenian  had  hung  out  rich  kerchiefs; 
a  Tatar  was  turning  mutton-coUops  on  a  spit;  a 
Jew,  with  head  thrust  forward,  was  filtering  corn- 
brandy  from  a  cask.  But  the  first  man  they  met 
was  a  Zaporozhetz  who  was  sleeping  in  the  very 
middle  of  the  road,  with  legs  and  arms  out- 
stretched. Taras  Bulba  could  not  refrain  from 
halting  to  admire  him. 

"  Eh,  how  splendidly  developed  he  Is  I  phew, 

1 A  verst  is  two-thirds  of  a  mile.    I.  F.  If. 


72  TARAS  BULBA 

what  a  magnificent  figure !  "  he  said,  reining  In  his 
horse.  The  Zaporozhetz  had  stretched  himself 
out  in  the  road  like  a  lion;  his  scalp-lock,  thrown 
proudly  behind  him,  extended  over  half  an  arshin 
of  ground;  ^  his  trousers,  of  costly  scarlet  cloth, 
were  spotted  with  tar,  to  show  his  utter  disdain 
for  them.  Having  admired  him  to  his  heart's 
content,  Bulba  passed  on  through  the  narrow 
street,  which  was  crowded  with  mechanics  pur- 
suing their  trades,  and  with  men  of  all  nationali- 
ties, who  thronged  this  suburb  of  the  Syech,  which 
resembled  a  fair,  and  fed  and  clothed  Syech  that 
knew  only  how  to  revel  and  to  discharge  guns. 

At  last  they  left  the  suburb  behind  them,  and 
perceived  some  scattered  kurens  ^  covered  with 
turf,  or  with  felt,  In  Tatar  fashion.  Some  were 
furnished  with  cannon.  Nowhere  were  any 
fences  visible,  or  any  of  those  low-roofed  houses 
with  sloping  porch-roofs  supported  on  short 
wooden  pillars,  such  as  there  were  in  the  suburb. 
A  small  rampart  and  abatis  totally  unguarded, 
showed  a  terrible  degree  of  recklessness.  Stal- 
wart Zaporozhtzi  lying,  pipe  In  mouth,  In  the  very 
road,  glanced  at  them  with  great  Indifference,  but 
did  not  stir  from  their  places.     Taras  threaded 

1  An  arshin  is  twenty-eight  inches.    I.  F.  H. 

2  Enormous  wooden  sheds  or  barracks,  each  inhabited  by  a 
troop  or  kuren.    I.  F.  H. 


TARAS  BULBA  73 

his  way  carefully  among  them,  with  his  sons,  say- 
ing, *'  Good  morning,  noble  sirs.'*  "  Good  day  to 
you,"  answered  the  Zaporozhtzi.  Picturesque 
groups  of  men  were  scattered  all  over  the  plain. 
It  was  evident,  from  their  weather-beaten  faces, 
that  all  were  steeled  In  battle,  and  had  undergone 
every  sort  of  reverse. 

And  there  it  was,  the  Syech!  There  was  the 
nest  from  which  all  those  men,  strong  and  proud 
as  lions,  had  issued  forth !  There  was  the  place 
whence  poured  forth  liberty  and  kazaks,  all  over 
the  Ukralna. 

The  travellers  emerged  into  the  great  square, 
where  the  Council  generally  assembled.  On  a 
huge  overturned  cask  sat  a  Zaporozhetz  without 
his  shirt;  he  was  holding  it  in  his  hands,  and 
slowly  sewing  up  the  holes.  Again  their  way  was 
barred  by  a  regular  crowd  of  musicians,  in  the 
middle  of  whom  a  young  Zaporozhetz  was  danc- 
ing, with  head  thrown  back  and  arms  outstretched. 
He  kept  shouting:  ^' Play  faster,  musicians! 
Begrudge  not  brandy  to  these  Orthodox  Chris- 
tians, Foma !  "  And  Foma,  with  his  blackened 
eye,  went  on  measuring  out,  without  stint,  a  huge 
jugful,  to  every  one  who  presented  himself. 

About  the  youthful  Zaporozhetz  four  old  men 
were  moving  their  feet  quite  briskly,  leaping  like 
a  whirlwind  to  one  side,  almost  upon  the  heads 


74  TARAS  BULBA 

of  the  musicians,  then,  suddenly  retreating,  they 
continued  to  dance  In  a  squatting  posture,  and  beat 
the  hard-trodden  earth  rapidly  and  vigorously  with 
their  silver  heels.  The  earth  hummed  dully  all 
about  the  neighbourhood,  and  afar,  through  the 
air,  resounded  the  hopak  and  the  trepak,  beaten 
out  by  the  ringing  heels  of  their  boots. 

But  one  shouted  more  vivaciously  than  all  the 
rest,  and  flew  after  the  others  in  the  dance.  His 
scalp-lock  streamed  in  the  wind,  his  powerful 
chest  was  all  uncovered;  his  warm  winter  fur  coat 
was  hanging  by  the  sleeves,  and  the  perspiration 
poured  from  him  like  hail,  as  though  from  a 
bucket. 

*' Take  off  your  jacket!"  said  Taras,  at  last: 
"Just  see  how  he's  steaming!" — ''I  can't!" 
shouted  the  kazak — *'Why?" — "I  can't:  my 
character  is  such  that  whatever  I  take  off  I  drink 
up  " —  and  the  young  man  had  not  had  a  cap  for 
a  long  time  past,  nor  a  belt  to  his  kaftan,  nor  an 
embroidered  kerchief:  all  had  travelled  the  fated 
road. 

The  throng  Increased:  more  men  joined  the 
dance;  and  it  was  impossible  to  observe  without 
inward  emotion,  how  it  swept  everything  before 
it,  that  dance,  the  freest,  the  wildest  the  world  has 
ever  seen,  which  Is  called  from  its  mighty  origina- 
tors, the  Kazachka. 


TARAS  BULBA  75 

**  Eh,  if  It  wasn't  for  my  horse  Vd  strike  out 
myself,  that  I  would!  "  exclaimed  Taras. 

Meanwhile,  there  began  to  appear  among  the 
throng  men  who  were  respected  for  their  prowess 
throughout  the  entire  Syech, —  old  greyheads, 
who  had  been  leaders  more  than  once.  Taras 
soon  encountered  a  number  of  familiar  faces. 
Ostap  and  Andrii  heard  nothing  but  greetings. — 
"  Ah,  so  it's  you,  Pecheritza !  —  Good  day,  Kozo- 
lup !  —  Whence  has  God  brought  you,  Taras  ?  — 
How  did  you  come  here,  Doloto  ?  —  Health  to 
you,  Kirdyaga  !  —  Hail  to  you,  Gustyl !  —  Who 
would  ever  have  thought  of  seeing  you,  Remen?  " 
And  the  heroes  assembled  from  all  the  dissolute 
population  of  Eastern  Russia,  fell  to  kissing  one 
another,  and  questions  began  to  fly  back  and  forth. 
— "  But  what  has  become  of  Kasyan?  —  Where  is 
Borodavka?  and  Koloper?  and  Pidsytok?" — 
And,  in  reply,  Taras  learned  that  Borodavka  had 
been  hanged  In  Tolopan,  that  Koloper  had  been 
flayed  alive  near  Kiziklrmen,  that  PIdsytok's  head 
had  been  salted  down  In  a  cask  and  sent  to  Tzar- 
grad.^  Old  Bulba  hung  his  head,  and  said 
thoughtfully,  "  They  were  good  kazaks!  " 

^  The  sole  Russian  word  for  Constantinople,  as  Petrograd  has 
always  been  the  genuine  Russian  form  for  (St.)  Petersburg.  I. 
F.  H. 


CHAPTER  THREE 


Ill 

TARAS  BULBA  and  his  sons  had  been  In 
the  Syech  about  a  week.  Ostap  and 
Andrii  occupied  themselves  very  little 
with  the  school  of  war.  The  Syech  was  not 
fond  of  troubling  itself  with  warlike  exercises  and 
wasting  time.  The  young  generation  grew  up, 
and  learned  these  by  experience  alone,  in  the  very 
heat  of  battles,  which  were,  accordingly,  almost 
incessant.  The  kazaks  thought  it  a  nuisance  to 
fill  up  the  intervals  of  this  instruction  with  any 
sort  of  drill,  except,  perhaps,  shooting  at  a  target, 
and,  on  rare  occasions,  with  horse-racing  and  wild- 
beast  hunts  on  the  steppe  and  in  the  forests.  All 
the  rest  of  the  time  they  devoted  to  revelry, —  a 
sign  of  the  wide  diffusion  of  spiritual  liberty. 
The  Syech,  as  a  whole,  presented  an  unusual  phe- 
nomenon: it  was  a  sort  of  unbroken  revel;  a  ball 
noisily  begun,  which  had  lost  its  end.  Some 
busied  themselves  with  crafts,  others  kept  little 
shops  and  traded;  but  the  majority  caroused  from 
morning  until  night,  if  the  wherewithal  jingled  in 
their  pockets,  and  if  the  booty  they  had  captured 

1^ 


8o  TARAS  BULBA 

had  not  passed  Into  the  hands  of  the  shopkeepers 
and  dram-shop  keepers.  There  was  a  certain  fas- 
cination about  this  universal  revelry.  It  was  not 
an  assembly  of  topers,  who  drank  to  drown  sor- 
row, but  simply  a  wild  revelry  of  joy.  Every  one 
who  came  thither  forgot  everything,  abandoned 
everything  which  had  hitherto  interested  him. 
He  —  so  to  speak  —  spat  on  all  his  past,  and 
gave  himself  up  recklessly  to  freedom  and  the 
good-fellowship  of  men  of  the  same  stamp  as  him- 
self,—  revellers,  who  had  neither  relatives  nor 
home,  nor  family, —  nothing  save  the  free  sky  and 
the  eternal  feast  of  their  souls.  This  gave  rise  to 
that  wild  gaiety  which  could  not  have  come  from 
any  other  source.  The  tales  and  chatter  among 
the  assembled  crowd  which  reposed  lazily  on  the 
ground  were  often  so  droll,  and  breathed  forth 
such  a  power  of  vivid  narration,  that  It  required 
all  the  Indifferent  exterior  cultivated  by  a  Zaporo- 
zhetz  to  maintain  his  Immovable  expression  of 
countenance,  without  so  much  as  a  twitch  of  the 
moustache, —  a  sharply-accentuated  peculiarity 
which  to  this  day  distinguishes  the  Southern  Rus- 
sian from  his  brethren.  It  was  drunken,  noisy 
mirth;  but  withal  it  was  no  black  ale-house,  where 
a  man  forgets  himself  In  darkly-seducing  merri- 
ment :  It  was  an  intimate  circle  of  schoolboys. 
The  only  difference  was,  that.  Instead  of  sitting 


TARAS  BULBA  8i 

under  the  pointer  and  threadbare  doctrines  of  a 
teacher,  they  made  a  raid  on  five  thousand  horses; 
in  place  of  the  field  where  scholars  played  ball, 
they  had  the  boundless,  untrammelled  border- 
marches;  and  at  sight  of  them  the  Tatar  showed 
his  alert  head,  and  the  Turk,  in  his  green  turban, 
gazed  phlegmatically,  grimly.  The  difference 
was,  that  in  place  of  the  forced  freedom  which 
had  united  them  at  school,  of  their  own  free-will 
they  had  deserted  their  fathers  and  mothers  and 
fled  from  their  parental  homes;  that  here  wera 
those  about  whose  necks  a  rope  was  already 
dangling,  and  who,  instead  of  pale  death,  had 
seen  life,  and  life  in  all  its  intensity;  that  here 
were  those  who,  from  patrician  habit,  could  never 
keep  a  kopek  in  their  pockets;  that  here  were 
those  who  had  hitherto  regarded  a  ducat  as 
wealth,  whose  pockets,  thanks  to  the  Jew  revenue- 
farmers,  could  have  been  turned  wrong-side  out 
without  any  danger  of  anything  falling  from  them. 
Here  all  were  students  who  could  not  endure  the 
academic  rod,  and  had  not  carried  away  a  single 
letter  from  the  school;  but  with  them,  also,  were 
some  who  knew  about  Horace,  and  Cicero,  and 
the  Roman  Republic.  Many  of  them  were 
officers  who  afterwards  distinguished  themselves 
in  the  King's  armies;  and  there  were  numerous 
educated  and  experienced  partisans,  who  cherished 


82  TARAS  BULBA 

a  noble  conviction  that  it  was  of  no  consequence 
where  they  fought  so  long  as  they  did  fight, 
because  it  was  a  disgrace  to  an  honourable  man  to 
exist  without  fighting.  Many  there  were  who  had 
come  to  the  Syech  for  the  sake  of  being  able  to 
say  later  on  that  they  had  been  in  the  Syech,  and 
were,  therefore,  steeled  warriors.  But  who  all 
was  not  there?  This  strange  republic  was  an 
inevitable  outgrowth  of  the  epoch.  Lovers  of  a 
warlike  life,  of  golden  beakers  and  rich  brocades, 
of  ducats  and  gold  pieces,  could  always  find  em- 
ployment there.  The  lovers  of  women  alone 
could  find  nothing  there,  for  no  woman  dared  to 
show  herself  in  the  suburbs  of  the  Syech. 

It  seemed  exceedingly  strange  to  Ostap  and 
Andrii  that,  although  a  crowd  of  persons  had 
come  to  the  Syech  with  them,  not  a  soul  inquired, 
"Whence  come  these  men?  Who  are  they  and 
what  are  their  names?  "  They  had  come  thither 
as  though  returning  to  their  own  home  whence 
they  had  departed  only  an  hour  previously.  A 
newcomer  merely  presented  himself  to  the 
Koshevol,  who  generally  said:  "  Welcome!  Do 
you  believe  in  Christ?  " — '*  I  do,"  replied  the  new 
arrival. — "  And  do  you  believe  In  the  Holy  Trin- 
ity? "_''  I  do."—"  And  do  you  go  to  church?  " 
_<'  I  do."—"  Well,  now,  cross  yourself."  The 
newcomer  crossed  himself. — "  Very  good,"  said 


TARAS  BULBA  83 

the  Koshevol.^  "  Enter  whichever  barrack  you 
like."  This  comprised  the  entire  ceremony.  And 
the  entire  Syech  prayed  in  one  church,  and  were 
wilHng  to  defend  it  to  the  last  drop  of  their  blood, 
although  they  would  not  hear  to  fasting  or  absti- 
nence. Only  Jews,  Armenians  and  Tatars,  in- 
spired by  strong  greed,  took  the  liberty  of  living 
and  trading  in  the  suburbs;  for  the  Zaporozhtzi 
never  cared  to  haggle,  and  paid  whatever  money 
their  hand  chanced  to  grasp  in  their  pockets. 
Moreover,  the  lot  of  these  gain-loving  traders 
was  pitiable  in  the  extreme.  They  resembled  peo- 
ple who  had  settled  at  the  foot  of  Vesuvius;  for 
when  the  Zaporozhtzi  lacked  money,  the  bold 
adventurers  broke  down  their  booths,  and  seized 
everything  gratis.  The  Syech  consisted  of  over 
sixty  kurens,  which  greatly  resembled  separate, 
independent  republics,  but  still  more  a  boys' 
school  or  a  college,  living  care-free,  with  all  their 
expenses  paid.  No  one  provided  himself  with 
anything;  no  one  retained  anything  for  himself. 
Everything  was  in  the  hands  of  the  ataman  of  the 
barrack,  who,  on  that  account,  generally  went  by 
the  name  of  Batko.^  In  his  hands  were  deposited 
the  money,  clothes,  all  the  provisions,  dried  oat- 
meal, buckwheat  groats,  even  the  firewood.    They 

*The  chief  over  all  the  commanders.    I.  F.  H. 
2  Father. 


84  TARAS  BULBA 

gave  him  the  money  to  take  care  of.  Quarrels  in 
the  barracks  among  their  inhabitants,  were  not 
infrequent;  in  such  cases,  they  proceeded  at  once 
to  blows.  The  inmates  of  the  barracks  swarmed 
out  upon  the  square,  and  smashed  in  one  another's 
ribs  with  their  fists  until  one  side  finally  prevailed 
and  gained  the  upper  hand,  when  the  revelry 
began.  Such  was  the  Syech,  which  had  such  an 
attraction  for  young  men. 

Ostap  and  Andrii  flung  themselves  into  this  sea 
of  dissipation  with  all  the  ardour  of  youth,  and 
forgot,  in  a  twinkling,  their  father's  house,  the 
seminary,  and  everything  which  had  hitherto  per- 
turbed their  souls,  and  gave  themselves  up  to  their 
new  life.  Everything  interested  them, —  the  jo- 
vial habits  of  the  Syech,  and  the  not  very  compli- 
cated laws,  which  even  seemed  to  them  too  strict 
for  such  a  free  republic.  If  a  kazak  stole  the 
smallest  trifle,  it  was  regarded  as  a  disgrace  to 
the  whole  kazak  community:  he  was  tied  to  a 
pillar  of  shame,  and  an  oaken  club  was  laid  beside 
him,  with  which  each  passer-by  was  bound  to  deal 
him  a  blow,  until,  in  this  manner,  he  was  beaten  to 
death.  He  who  did  not  pay  his  debts  was  chained 
to  a  cannon,  where  he  was  forced  to  sit  until  some 
one  of  his  comrades  decided  to  ransom  him  by 
paying  his  debts  for  him. 

But  what  made  the  deepest  impression  upon 


TARAS  BULBA  85  ' 

Andrii  was  the  terrible  punishment  decreed  for 
murder.  A  hole  was  dug  in  the  murderer's 
presence,  he  was  lowered  into  it,  and  over  him 
was  placed  a  coffin  which  enclosed  the  corpse  of 
the  man  whom  he  had  killed,  after  which  earth 
was  heaped  upon  both.  Long  afterwards  the 
frightful  ceremony  of  this  horrible  execution  clung 
to  his  mind,  and  the  man  who  had  been  buried 
alive  appeared  to  him  with  his  terribly  coffin. 

Both  the  young  kazaks  took  a  good  standing 
among  the  kazaks.  They  frequently  went  out  on 
the  steppe  with  comrades  from  their  barrack,  and 
sometimes  with  the  entire  barrack,  or  with  neigh- 
bouring barracks,  to  shoot  the  innumerable  steppe- 
birds  of  every  sort,  and  deer  and  goats;  or  they 
went  out  upon  the  lakes,  the  river  and  its  tribu- 
taries, assigned  by  lot  to  each  barrack,  to  cast 
their  bag-nets  and  drag-nets,  and  draw  out  rich 
prey  for  the  enjoyment  of  the  whole  kuren. 
Although  a  kazak  was  not  tested  there  by  any 
apprenticeship,  yet  they  were  soon  remarked  on 
among  the  other  youths  for  their  dogged  bravery, 
and  their  skill  in  everything.  Vigorously  and 
accurately  they  fired  at  a  target;  they  swam  across 
the  Dnyeper  against  the  current, —  a  deed  for 
which  a  novice  was  triumphantly  received  into  the 
circle  of  kazaks. 

But  old  Taras  had  planned  a  different  sort  of 


86  TARAS  BULBA 

activity  for  them.  Such  an  idle  existence  was  not 
to  his  mind:  he  wanted  actual  work.  He  medi- 
tated incessantly  how  he  might  stir  up  the  Syech 
to  some  bold  enterprise,  wherein  a  man  could 
carouse  as  became  a  knight.  At  last  he  went  one 
day  to  the  Koshevoi  and  said  plainly: 

**  Well,  Koshevoi,  'tis  time  for  the  Zaporozhtzi 
to  make  a  little  excursion." 

"  Nowhere  to  go,"  replied  the  Koshevoi,  re- 
moving his  short  pipe  from  his  mouth,  and  spit- 
ting to  one  side. 

"  What  d'ye  mean  by  nowhere  ?  We  can  make 
a  raid  on  the  Turks  and  the  Tatars." 

"  Impossible  to  raid  either  the  Turks  or  the 
Tatars,"  returned  the  Koshevoi,  putting  his  pipe 
coolly  into  his  mouth  again. 

"  Why  is  it  impossible?  " 

"  Because   it  is.     We've  promised  the   Sultai 
peace." 

"  But  he's  a  Mussulman;  and  God  and  the  Holyl 
Scriptures  command  us  to  slay  the  Mussulmans." 

"  We  have  no  right.  If  we  had  not  sworn  by 
our  holy  Faith  then,  perhaps,  it  might  be  done; 
but  now  'tis  impossible." 

"How  is  it  impossible?  How  can  you  say 
that  we  have  no  right?  Here  are  my  two  sons, 
both  young  men  grown.  Neither  one  has  been 
to  war;  and  you  say  that  we  have  no  right,  and 


TARAS  BULBA  87 

k 

you  say  that  there  Is  no  necessity  for  the  Zaporo- 
zhtzi  to  set  out  on  an  expedition." 

"  Well,  'tis  not  fitting." 

**  Then  It  must  be  fitting  that  kazak  strength 
should  be  wasted  In  vain,  that  a  man  should  dis- 
appear like  a  dog  without  having  done  a  single 
good  deed,  without  having  been  of  any  use  to  his 
country  or  to  Christianity!  Then  why  do  we 
live?  What  the  devil  do  we  live  for?  Just  tell 
me  that.  You're  a  sensible  man,  you  were  not 
elected  as  Koshevol  without  reason:  just  explain 
to  me  what  we  live  for?  " 

To  this  question  the  Koshevol  made  no  reply. 
He  was  a  headstrong  kazak.  He  remained  silent 
for  a  while,  then  said :  *'  Anyway,  there  shall  be 
no  war." 

"There  shall  be  no  war?"  Taras  repeated. 

"No." 

"  Then  there's  no  use  In  thinking  about  it?  " 

"No;  no  use." 

"  Just  wait,  you  damned  pigheaded  brute !  " 
said  Taras  to  himself:  "  I'll  teach  you  to  know 
me!"  and  he  immediately  resolved  to  revenge 
himself  on  the  Koshevol. 

Having  entered  into  an  agreement  with  one 
man  here,  another  man  there,  he  gave  a  drinking- 
bout  for  everybody;  and  several  of  the  kazaks.  In 
a  state  of  Intoxication,  staggered  straight  to  the 


88  TARAS  BULBA 

square  where  on  a  post  hung  the  kettle-drums 
which  were  generally  beaten  to  summon  the  Coun- 
cil ;  not  finding  the  sticks,  which  were  always  kept 
by  the  drummer,  they  seized  a  billet  of  wood,  and 
began  to  thump.  The  first  to  respond  to  the  drum- 
beat was  the  drummer,  a  tall  man  with  but  one  eye, 
and  a  frightfully  sleepy  eye,  at  that. 

'*  Who  dares  to  beat  the  drum?"  he  shouted. 

"  Hold  your  tongue !  Take  your  sticks,  and 
beat  when  you're  ordered!  "  replied  the  drunken 
men. 

The  drummer  immediately  took  from  his  pocket 
the  sticks  which  he  had  brought  with  him,  being 
very  well  aware  what  would  be  the  result  of  such 
proceedings.  The  drums  began  to  thunder,  and 
ere  long  black  bunches  of  kazaks  began  to  collect, 
like  swarms  of  bees,  in  the  square.  All  formed 
in  a  ring;  and,  at  last,  after  the  third  summons, 
the  chiefs  began  to  arrive, —  the  Koshevoi  with 
his  mace,  the  symbol  of  his  office,  in  his  hand;  the 
Judge,  with  the  seal  of  the  Army;  the  Scribe,  with 
his  inkhorn;  and  the  Yesaul  with  his  staff.  The 
Koshevoi  and  the  chiefs  doffed  their  caps,  and 
bowed  on  all  sides  to  the  kazaks,  who  stood 
proudly,  with  their  arms  akimbo. 

"  What  means  this  assemblage?  What  is  your 
wish,  noble  sirs?"  said  the  Koshevoi.  Shouts 
and  abuse  interrupted  his  speech. 


TARAS  BULBA  89 

"  Give  up  your  mace !  Give  up  your  mace  this 
moment,  you  son  of  the  Devil!  We'll  have  no 
more  of  you!"  shouted  kazaks  in  the  crowd. 
Some  of  the  sober  ones  appeared  to  wish  to  oppose 
this,  but  the  barracks,  sober  and  drunken,  fell  to 
blows.     The  shouting  and  uproar  became  general. 

The  Koshevoi  made  an  attempt  to  speak;  but 
knowing  that  the  headstrong  multitude,  if  enraged, 
might  beat  him  to  death,  as  almost  always  hap- 
pened in  such  cases,  he  bowed  very  low,  laid  down 
his  mace,  and  hid  himself  in  the  crowd. 

"  Do  you  command  us,  noble  sirs,  to  resign  our 
insignia  of  office?  "  said  the  Judge,  the  Scribe  and 
the  Yesaul;  and  they  prepared  to  give  up  the  Ink- 
horn,  the  seal  of  the  Army  and  the  staff,  on  the 
spot. 

''No,  remain!  "  was  shouted  from  the  crowd. 
"  We  only  want  to  drive  out  the  Koshevoi  because 
he's  a  woman,  and  we  want  a  man  for  Koshevoi." 

*'  Whom  do  you  elect  as  Koshevoi?  '*  asked  the 
chiefs. 

"  Elect  Kukubenko,"  shouted  some. 

"  We  won't  have  Kukubenko !  "  yelled  another 
party:  "  he's  too  young;  the  milk  isn't  dry  on  his 
lips  yet." 

"  Let  Shilo  be  ataman !  "  shouted  some :  "  make 
Shilo  the  Koshevoi." 

"  None  of  your  Shilo!  "  yelled  the  crowd;  "  a 


90  TARAS  BULBA 

nice  sort  of  kazak  he  is  I  that  son  of  a  dog  is  as 
thievish  as  a  Tatar !  To  the  devil  in  a  sack  with 
your  drunken  Shilo  I  " 

"  Borodaty !  let's  make  Borodaty  Koshevoi !  " 

"  We  won't  have  Borodaty !  To  the  devil's 
mother  with  Borodaty  I  " 

"  Shout  Kirdyaga,"  whispered  Taras  Bulba  to 
several. 

"  Kirdyaga,  Kirdyaga !  "  shouted  the  crowd. 

"Borodaty  I  Borodaty  I  Kirdyaga!  Kirdyaga  I 
Shilo  I     Away  with  Shilo  I     Kirdyaga  I  " 

All  the  candidates,  the  moment  they  heard  their 
names  mentioned,  stepped  out  of  the  crowd,  in 
order  not  to  give  any  one  a  chance  to  suppose  that 
they  were  taking  a  part  personally  in  their  elec- 
tion. 

**  Kirdyaga,  Kirdyaga!"  rang  out  more 
strongly  than  the  rest. 

"Borodaty!" 

They  proceeded  to  decide  the  matter  by  a  show 
of  fists,  and  Kirdyaga  won. 

"  Go  for  Kirdyaga !  "  they  shouted.  Half  a 
score  of  kazaks  immediately  stepped  out  from  the 
crowd, —  some  of  them  could  hardly  keep  their 
feet,  so  intoxicated  were  they, —  and  went  directly 
to  Kirdyaga  to  notify  him  of  his  election. 

Kirdyaga,  although  very  old,  was  a  very 
shrewd  kazak,  and  had  been  sitting  in  his  barrack 


TARAS  BULBA  •        91 

'or  a  good  while  already,  as  though  he  knew  noth- 
ing about  what  was  going  on. 

"  What  is  it,  noble  sirs  ?  ^  What  is  your  will  ?  " 
he  inquired. 

"  Come,  you  are  elected  Koshevoi.'* 

"Have  mercy,  noble  sirs  I"  said  KIrdyaga. 
*' How  am  I  worthy  of  such  an  honour?  Why 
should  I  be  made  Koshevoi?  I  haven't  sufficient 
sense  to  discharge  such  a  duty.  Could  no  better 
man  be  found  in  all  the  Army?  '* 

"  Come  along,  as  you're  bid  I  '*  shouted  the 
Zaporozhtzi.  Two  of  them  seized  him  by  the 
arms;  and,  although  he  planted  his  feet  firmly, 
they  finally  dragged  him  to  the  square,  accom- 
panied by  shouts,  thrusts  from  the  rear  with  fists, 
kicks  and  exhortations. —  "  Don't  hold  back,  you 
son  of  the  Devil!  Accept  the  honour,  you  dog, 
when  'tis  given  to  you!'*  In  this  manner  was 
KIrdyaga  conducted  into  the  ring  of  kazaks. 

"  Well,  noble  sirs,"  yelled  those  who  had 
brought  him,  "  are  you  agreed  that  this  kazak 
shall  be  your  Koshevoi?  " 

"  All  agreed !  "  shouted  the  throng,  and  the 
whole  plain  reverberated  for  a  long  time  after- 
ward with  that  shout. 

^  The  Polish  "  Panove,"  the  word  employed  here  and  else- 
where, is  the  form  of  address  for  men  of  noble  birth,  "  Pan " 
(or  Mr.)  being  the  singular  form.     I.  F.  H. 


92  TARAS  BULBA 

One  of  the  chiefs  took  the  mace  and  handed  it 
to  the  newly-elected  Koshevoi.  Kirdyaga,  in 
accordance  with  custom,  immediately  refused  it.' 
The  chief  offered  it  a  second  time;  Kirdyaga  again 
declined  it,  and  then,  at  the  third  offer,  accepted 
it.  A  shout  of  approbation  rang  through  the 
crowd,  and  again  the  whole  plain  resounded  afar 
with  the  shout  of  the  kazaks.  Then  there  stepped 
forth  from  among  the  people,  the  four  oldest  of 
all,  white  moustached  kazaks  with  white  scalp- 
locks  (there  were  no  very  old  men  in  the  Syech,  for 
none  of  the  Zaporozhtzi  ever  died  a  natural 
death),  and  taking  each  a  handful  of  earth,  which 
recent  rains  had  converted  into  mud,  they  laid  it  on 
his  head.  The  wet  earth  trickled  down  from  his 
head,  ran  on  his  moustache  and  cheeks,  and 
smeared  his  whole  face  with  mud.  But  Kirdyaga 
stood  motionless  in  his  place,  and  thanked  the 
kazaks  for  the  honour  they  had  shown  him. 

Thus  ended  the  noisy  election,  as  to  which  one 
cannot  say  whether  it  was  as  pleasing  to  the  others 
as  it  was  to  Bulba :  by  means  of  it  he  had  taken  his 
revenge  on  the  former  Koshevoi.  Moreover, 
Kirdyaga  was  an  old  comrade  of  his,  and  had 
been  on  expeditions  with  him  by  land  and  sea, 
sharing  the  toils  and  hardships  of  war.  The 
crowd  immediately  dispersed  to  celebrate  the  elec- 
tion,   and    such   revelry   ensued    as    Ostap    and 


TARAS  BULBA  93 

Andril  had  not  yet  beheld.  The  dram-shops  were 
attacked:  mead,  corn-brandy  and  beer  were  seized 
quite  simply,  without  payment;  the  owners  were 
glad  enough  to  escape  with  whole  skins  themselves. 
The  whole  night  passed  amid  shouts,  and  songs 
which  celebrated  war-like  feats  —  and  the  rising 
moon  gazed  long  at  troops  of  musicians  marching 
about  the  streets  with  banduras,  round  balalaikas^ 
and  the  church  choir,  who  were  kept  to  sing  in 
church  and  to  glorify  the  deeds  of  the  Zaporozhtzi. 
At  last  drunkenness  and  fatigue  began  to  over- 
power their  strong  heads,  and  here  and  there  a 
kazak  could  be  seen  to  fall  upon  the  earth,  and, 
comrade  embracing  comrade  in  fraternal  fashion, 
maudlin  and  even  weeping,  both  rolled  upon  the 
earth  together.  Here  a  whole  group  tumbled 
down  in  a  heap ;  there  a  man  chose  the  most  com- 
fortable position,  and  stretched  straight  out  on  a 
log  of  wood.  This  last,  who  was  stronger,  was 
still  giving  utterance  to  incoherent  speeches;  at  last 
even  he  yielded  to  the  power  of  intoxication,  flung 
himself  down  —  and  all  in  the  Syech  slept. 

^The  ordinary  balalaika  is  triangular.    I.  F.  H. 


CHAPTER  FOUR 


BUT  on  the  following  day,  Taras  Bulba  had 
a  conference  with  the  new  Koshevoi  as  to 
the  best  way  of  inciting  the  kazaks  to  some 
enterprise.  The  Koshevoi  was  a  «vily  and  saga- 
cious kazak,  knew  the  Zaporozhtzi  through  and 
through,  and  said,  at  first:  "Oaths  cannot  be 
violated;  it's  downright  impossible."  But,  after 
a  pause,  he  added:  "  No  matter,  it  can  be  man- 
aged. We  won't  violate  them,  but  let's  devise 
something.  Let  the  men  assemble,  not  at  my 
summons,  but  simply  of  their  own  accord.  You 
know  how  to  contrive  it;  and  I'll  hasten  to  the 
square  instantly,  with  the  chiefs,  as  though  we 
knew  nothing  about  it." 

Not  an  hour  had  elapsed  after  their  conversa- 
tion when  the  kettle-drums  thundered.  Instantly 
the  drunken  and  foolish  kazaks  made  their  appear- 
ance. A  million  kazak  caps  poured  into  the 
square.  A  murmur  arose,  "Why?  What? 
Why  was  the  assembly  beaten?"  No  one 
answered.  At  last,  in  one  quarter  and  another,  it 
began  to  be  rumoured  about,  "  Behold,  the  kazak 

97 


98  TARAS  BULBA 

strength  is  being  vainly  wasted:  there  is  no  war! 
Behold,  our  leaders  have  become  altogether  fat 
and  sleepy;  their  eyes  swim  in  fat!  Yes,  plainly, 
there  is  no  justice  in  the  world!"  The  other 
kazaks  first  listened,  and  then  began  to  say  to 
themselves,  '' Ah,  that's  the  truth;  there's  no 
justice  in  the  world!  "  Their  leaders  seemed  sur- 
prised at  these  utterances.  At  last  the  Koshevoi 
stepped  forward:  *'  Permit  me,  noble  kazaks,  to 
address  you." 

"Speak  out!" 

"  Touching  the  matter  in  question,  noble  sirs, 
probably  no  one  knows  better  than  yourselves,  that 
many  Zaporozhtzi  have  run  In  debt  to  the  Jews  In 
the  dram-shops,  and  to  that  sort  of  folks,  so  that 
now  not  even  a  devil  would  give  them  credit. 
Again,  touching  the  matter  In  question,  there  are 
many  young  fellows  who  have  no  Idea  of  what  war 
is  like,  although,  as  you  are  aware,  noble  sirs,  with- 
out war  a  young  man  cannot  exist.  How  make  a 
Zaporozhetz  out  of  him  If  he  has  never  slain  a 
Mussulman?  " 

"  He  speaks  well,"  said  Bulba  to  himself. 

**  Think  not,  however,  noble  sirs,  that  I  speak 
thus  with  a  view  of  disturbing  the  peace:  God 
forbid!  I  merely  mention  the  fact.  Moreover, 
the  church  we  have  for  our  God  Is  too  disgraceful 
for  words:  just  consider  for  how  many  years  the 


TARAS  BULBA  99 

Syech  has  existed,  by  the  mercy  of  God,  but  to  this 
day  it  not  only  doesn't  look  like  a  church  outside, 
but  even  the  holy  pictures  have  no  adornments; 
no  one  has  so  much  as  thought  of  making  them  a 
garment :  ^  they  have  received  only  that  which  some 
other  kazaks  have  bequeathed  them  in  their  wills; 
and  moreover  those  gifts  have  been  meagre,  be- 
cause those  men  had  drunk  up  nearly  all  they  had 
during  their  lifetime.  I'm  making  you  this 
speech,  therefore,  not  with  the  object  of  stirring 
you  up  to  a  war  with  the  Mussulmans:  we  have 
promised  the  Sultan  peace,  and  it  would  be  a  great 
sin  in  us,  for  we  swore  It  according  to  our  law." 

"What's  he  mixing  things  up  like  that  for?" 
said  Bulba  to  himself. 

"  So  you  see,  noble  sirs,  that  war  cannot  be 
begun;  knightly  honour  does  not  permit  it.  But 
according  to  my  poor  opinion,  this  is  what  I  think: 
let's  send  out  a  few  young  men  in  boats;  let  them 
ravage  the  coasts  of  Anatolia  a  bit.  What  say 
you,  noble  sirs?  " 

"  Lead  on,  take  us  all!  "  shouted  the  crowd  on 
all  sides.  "  We're  ready  to  lay  down  our  heads 
for  our  Faith." 

1  The  golden  or  silver  decoration,  applied  to  the  painted  holy 
pictures,  in  the  form  of  a  garment  which  leaves  the  face,  hands 
and  feet  of  the  Saint  visible.  It  is  a  great  favor  —  as  well  as 
a  sign  of  zeal  —  to  be  permitted  to  furnish  such  decoration  for 
the  Holy  Ikona.    I.  F.  H. 


loo  TARAS  BULBA 

The  Koshevoi  was  alarmed.  He  did  not  wish, 
by  any  manner  of  means,  to  stir  up  all  Zaporozhe; 
a  breach  of  the  peace  appeared  to  him  improper  on 
the  present  occasion.  "  Permit  me,  noble  sirs,  to 
address  you  further." 

"  Enough  I  "  yelled  the  kazaks.  "  You  can  say 
nothing  better." 

"  If  so  it  must  be,  then  so  be  It.  I  am  the  slave 
of  your  will.  Everybody  knows,  and  the  Scrip- 
tures also  tell  us,  that  the  voice  of  the  people  Is  the 
voice  of  God.  It  is  Impossible  to  devise  anything 
better  than  the  whole  nation  has  devised.  But 
here's  the  difficulty:  you  know,  noble  sirs,  that  the 
Sultan  will  not  permit  the  diversion  which  delights 
our  young  men  to  go  unpunished.  And  we  ought 
to  be  well  prepared  at  such  a  time,  and  our  forces 
ought  to  be  fresh,  and  then  we  need  fear  no  one. 
But  during  their  absence  the  Tatars  may  make  an 
attack;  those  Turkish  dogs  don't  show  themselves, 
and  they  daren't  come  while  the  master  Is  at  home, 
but  they  snap  at  his  heels  from  behind,  and  bite 
painfully,  to  boot.  And,  if  It  comes  to  that,  to 
speak  the  truth,  we  have  not  boats  enough  on 
hand,  nor  powder  ready  In  sufficient  quantity,  for 
all  to  go.  But  I  am  glad  and  ready.  If  you  llkerj 
I  am  the  slave  of  your  will." 

The    wily    Ataman    stopped    speaking.     The 


TARAS  BULB/^  Toi 

various  groups  began  to  discuss  the  matter,  and  the 
atamans  of  the  different  barracks  to  take  counsel 
together:  fortunately,  few  of  these  were  drunk, 
so  they  decided  to  heed  the  counsels  of  reason. 

A  number  of  men  set  out  at  once  for  the  op- 
posite shore  of  the  Dnyeper,  to  the  treasury  of  the 
Army,  where,  In  an  Inaccessible  hiding-place,  under 
water  and  among  the  reeds,  lay  concealed  the 
army-chest,  and  a  part  of  the  arms  captured  from 
the  enemy.  Others  hastened  to  Inspect  the  boats, 
and  prepare  them  for  service.  In  a  twinkling  the 
whole  shore  was  thronged  with  men.  Carpenters 
appeared,  axes  In  hand.  Old,  weatherbeaten, 
broad-shouldered,  strong-legged  Zaporozhtzl, 
with  black  or  silvered  moustaches,  rolled  up  their 
trousers,  stood  knee-deep  In  the  water,  and 
dragged  the  boats  from  the  shore  with  stout  ropes; 
others  brought  thither  seasoned  lumber,  ready  for 
Immediate  use,  and  timber  of  all  sorts.  Here  the 
boats  were  freshly  planked,  turned  bottom  up- 
wards, calked  and  tarred;  there  other  skiffs  were 
bound  together,  side  by  side.  In  kazak  fashion, 
with  long  strands  of  reeds,  that  the  swell  of  the 
waves  on  the  sea  might  not  sink  them.  Further 
on,  all  along  the  shores,  they  built  fires,  and  heated 
tar  in  copper  kettles,  to  coat  the  boats.  The  old 
and  experienced  Instructed  the  young.     The  blows 


102  TARAS  BULBA 

and  shouts  of  the  workers  rose  over  all  the  coun- 
tryside; the  bank,  alive  with  men,  shook  and 
swayed  about. 

About  this  time  a  large  ferry-boat  began  to 
approach  the  shore.  The  mass  of  men  standing 
in  it  began  to  wave  their  arms  from  a  long  distance 
away.  They  were  kazaks  in  torn,  ragged  svitkas. 
Their  disordered  garments  (many  had  nothing  but 
their  shirt  and  a  short  pipe  in  their  mouth)  showed 
that  they  had  escaped  from  some  disaster,  or  had 
caroused  to  such  an  extent  that  they  had  drunk  up 
all  they  had  had  on  their  bodies.  A  very  <^hort, 
broad-shouldered  kazak  of  about  fifty  stepped  out 
from  their  midst,  and  stood  in  front.  He  shouted 
and  waved  his  hand  more  vigorously  than  any 
of  the  others;  but  his  words  could  not  be  heard 
for  the  shouts  and  hammering  of  the  workmen. 

"Whence  come  you?"  asked  the  Koshevoi, 
when  the  boat  had  touched  shore.  All  the  work- 
ers paused  In  their  labours,  and,  with  axes  and 
chisels  uplifted,  looked  on  expectantly. 

"  From  a  misfortune !  '*  shouted  the  kazak. 

"From  what?" 

"  Permit  me,  noble  Zaporozhtzl,  to  address 
you." 

"Speak!" 

"  Or  would  you  prefer  to  assemble  the  Coun- 
cil?" 


J 


TARAS  BULBA  103 

"  Speak,  we  are  all  here." 

The  men  all  pressed  together  in  a  close  mass. 

*'  And  have  you  heard  nothing  of  what  has  been 
going  on  in  the  Hetman's  dominions?  " 

"What  is  it?"  inquired  one  of  the  barrack 
atamans. 

"Eh!  What?  Evidently,  a  Tatar  has  plas- 
tered up  your  ears,  that  you  might  hear  nothing." 

"  Tell  us:  what  is  going  on  there?  " 

"  That  is  going  on  the  like  of  which  no  man 
born  or  christened  ever  yet  has  seen." 

".T<^11  us  what  it  is,  you  son  of  a  dog,"  shouted 
one  of  the  crowd,  apparently  losing  patience. 

"  Things  have  come  to  such  a  pass  that  our  holy 
churches  are  no  longer  ours." 

"  How  not  ours?  " 

"  They  are  leased  to  the  Jews  now.  If  the  Jew 
is  not  first  paid,  there  can  be  no  service." 

"  What  nonsense  is  this  you're  telling  us?  " 

"  And  if  the  thrice-accursed  dog  of  a  Jew  does 
not  make  a  sign  with  his  unclean  hand  over  the 
holy  paskha,^  it  cannot  be  blessed." 

"  He  lies,  brother  nobles !  It  cannot  be  that  an 
unclean  Jew  puts  his  mark  upon  the  holy  paskha." 

"  Listen !  I  have  not  yet  told  all.  Roman 
Catholic  priests  are  driving  about  all  over  the 
Ukraina,  in  carts.     The  harm  lies  not  in  the  carts, 

^  The  special  Easter  dish,  made  chiefly  of  curds.    I.  F.  H. 


104  TARAS  BULBA 

but  that  not  horses  but  Orthodox  ^  Christians  are 
harnessed  to  them.  Listen !  Even  that  Is  not  all. 
They  say  that  the  Jewesses  are  making  themselves 
petticoats  out  of  our  priests'  vestments.  Such  are 
the  deeds  that  are  taking  place  In  the  Ukralna, 
noble  sirs!  And  you  sit  here  revelling  in  Zapo- 
rozhe;  and,  evidently,  a  Tatar  has  so  scared  you 
that  you  have  no  eyes,  no  ears,  no  anything,  and 
you  hear  nothing  that  Is  going  on  In  the  world." 

"  Stop,  stop !  "  broke  In  the  Koshevoi,  who,  up 
to  that  moment  had  stood  with  his  eyes  fixed  upon 
the  earth  like  all  Zaporozhtzl  who,  on  important 
occasions  never  yielded  to  their  first  impulse  but 
kept  silence,  and  meanvv^hlle  collected  privately  all 
the  menacing  power  of  their  Indignation.  "  Stop ! 
I,  also,  have  a  word  to  say.  What  have  you  been 
doing  the  while  ?  When  the  Devil  was  thus  maul- 
ing your  priest, —  what  were  you  doing  your- 
selves? Had  you  no  swords?  How  did  you 
come  to  permit  such  lawlessness?  " 

*'  Eh!  How  did  we  come  to  permit  such  law- 
lessness? You  ought  to  have  tried  to  stop  it, 
when  there  were  fifty  thousand  of  the  Lyakhs  ^ 
alone;  yet,  and  'tis  a  shame  not  to  be  concealed, 

1  The  "  Orthodox,"  or  "  Orthodox  Christians,"  signifies  mem- 
bers of  the  Greco-Russian,  or  Eastern  Catholic,  Church.    I.  F.  H. 

2  Lyak  is  an  abbreviated  form  of  Polyakh,  Pole.    I.  F.  H. 


TARAS  BULBA  105 

that  there  were  also  dogs  among  our  men  who 
have  already  accepted  their  Faith." 

"  But  your  Hetman  and  your  colonels, —  what 
did  they  do?" 

"  God  preserve  any  one  from  such  deeds  as  our 
colonels  performed!  " 

"How  so?" 

"  This  way :  Our  Hetman,  roasted  in  a  brazen 
ox,  now  lies  in  Warsaw;  and  the  heads  and  hands 
of  our  colonels  are  being  carried  round  to  all  the 
Fairs,  as  a  spectacle  for  the  people.  That's  what 
our  colonels  did." 

The  whole  throng  became  violently  agitated. 
At  first  silence  reigned  all  along  the  shore,  like  that 
which  precedes  a  fierce  tempest;  and  then,  sud- 
denly, voices  were  raised,  and  all  the  shore  broke 
Into  utterance : 

"  What !  Jews  hold  the  Christian  churches  on 
lease!  Roman-Catholic  priests  have  harnessed 
and  beaten  Orthodox  Christians!  What!  Such 
torture  has  been  permitted  on  Russian  soil  by 
accursed  unbelievers!  And  they  have  done  such 
things  to  the  colonels  and  the  Hetman?  Nay,  this 
shall  not  be.  It  shall  not  be !  "  Words  of  this  sort 
flew  from  all  quarters.  The  Zaporozhtzi  were  In 
an  uproar,  and  felt  their  power.  This  was  not  the 
excitement  of  a  giddy-headed  folk.     All  who  were 


io6  TARAS  BULBA 

thus  agitated  were  strong,  firm  characters,  which 
were  not  easily  heated,  but  once  rendered  red-hot 
preserved  the  inward  heat  long  and  obstinately. 
"  Hang  all  Jews !  ''  rang  through  the  crowd. 
"  They  shall  not  make  petticoats  for  their  Jewesses 
from  priests'  vestments!  They  shall  not  place 
their  tokens  on  the  holy  paskha !  Drown  them 
all,  the  heathens,  in  the  Dnyeper !  "  These  words, 
uttered  by  some  one  in  the  throng,  flashed  like 
lightning  through  all  minds,  and  the  crowd  flung 
themselves  upon  the  suburb  with  the  intention  of 
cutting  the  throats  of  all  the  Jews. 

The  poor  sons  of  Israel,  losing  all  presence  of 
mind,  and  not  being  courageous,  in  any  case,  hid 
themselves  in  empty  brandy-casks,  in  ovens,  and 
even  crawled  under  the  skirts  of  their  Jewesses; 
but  the  kazaks  routed  them  out,  wherever  they 
were. 

"Most  illustrious  lords!"  shrieked  one  Jew, 
tall  and  thin  as  a  stick,  thrusting  his  sorry  visage, 
distorted  with  terror,  from  among  a  group  of  his 
comrades,  "  most  illustrious  lords !  suffer  us  to  say 
a  word,  only  one  word.  We  will  reveal  to  you 
what  you  never  yet  have  heard,  a  thing  more  im- 
portant than  I  can  say, —  very  important !  " 

**  Well,  say  It !  "  said  Bulba,  who  always  liked 
to  hear  what  an  accused  man  had  to  say. 

*'  Illustrious  lords!  "  exclaimed  the  Jew,  "such 


TARAS  BULBA  107 

I  lords  never  were  seen  before,  never,  by  God! 
*  Such  good,  kind,  brave  men  there  never  were  in 
the  world  before  I  "  His  voice  died  away,  quiver- 
ing with  terror.  **  How  was  it  possible  that  we 
should  think  any  evil  of  the  Zaporozhtzi?  Those 
men  are  not  of  us  at  all,  those  who  take  leases  in 
the  Ukraina.  God  is  my  witness  —  they  are  not 
of  us!  They  are  not  Jews  at  all.  The  Devil 
only  knows  what  they  are ;  they  are  only  fit  to  spit 
upon,  and  cast  aside.  Behold,  they  will  tell  you 
the  same  thing!  Is  it  not  true,  Shloma?  or  you, 
Shmul?" 

"By  God,  it  is  true!"  replied  Shloma  and 
Shmul,  from  among  the  crowd,  both  pale  as  clay 
under  their  ragged  caps. 

"  We  never  yet,"  pursued  the  long  Jew,  "  have 
had  any  secret  intercourse  with  your  enemies,  and 
with  Roman  Catholics  we  will  have  nothing  to  do; 
may  they  dream  of  the  Devil !  We  are  like  blood 
brothers  to  the  Zaporozhtzi.  .  .  ." 

"  What  I  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  the  Zaporo- 
zhtzi are  brothers  to  you !  "  exclaimed  one  among 
the  throng.  "  Don't  wait;  accursed  Jews!  Into 
the  Dnyeper  with  them,  noble  sirs!  Drown  all 
unbelievers!  " 

These  words  served  as  the  signal.  They  seized 
the  Jews  by  the  arms,  and  began  to  hurl  them  into 
the  waves.     Piteous  cries  resounded  on  all  sides; 


to8  TARAS  BULBA 

but  the  grim  Zaporozhtzi  only  laughed,  when  they 
saw  the  Jewish  legs,  encased  in  shoes  and  stock- 
ings flourishing  in  the  air.  The  poor  orator  who 
had  called  down  destruction  on  himself,  wriggled 
out  of  his  kaftan,  by  which  they  had  seized  him, 
and  in  his  scant,  parti-coloured  under-waistcoat, 
clasped  Bulba's  legs  and  begged,  in  a  piteous  voice : 
"  Great  lord !  most  gracious  sir!  I  used  to  know 
your  brother,  the  late  Dorosha.  He  was  a  war- 
rior who  was  an  ornament  to  knighthood.  I  gave 
him  eight  hundred  sequins  when  he  was  forced  to 
ransom  himself  from  the  Turks.'' 

*'  You  knew  my  brother?  "  asked  Taras 

"  God  is  my  witness  that  I  did.  He  was  a  mag- 
nificent nobleman." 

"  And  what  is  your  name  ?  " 

"  Yankel." 

*'  Good,"  said  Taras;  and  then,  after  reflecting, 
he  turned  to  the  kazaks  and  spoke  as  follows: 
**  There  will  always  be  plenty  of  time  to  hang  the 
Jew,  if  it  proves  necessary;  but  give  him  to  me  for 
to-day." 

So  saying,  Taras  led  him  to  his  wagon,  beside 
which  stood  his  kazaks.  *'  Now,  crawl  under  the 
cart;  lie  there,  and  don't  move. —  And  as  for  you, 
my  good  men,  don't  you  surrender  the  Jew." 

Thereupon  he  returned  to  the  square,  for  the 
whole  crowd  had,  long  before,  collected  there. 


TARAS  BULBA  109 

All  had,  at  once,  abandoned  the  shore  and  the 
preparation  of  the  boats;  for  a  land-journey  now 
lay  before  them,  not  a  sea-voyage,  and  they  needed 
horses  and  carts,  not  ships  and  kazak  gulls.  Now 
all,  both  young  and  old,  wanted  to  go  on  the  ex- 
pedition; and  It  was  decided,  with  the  advice  of 
the  chiefs,  the  atamans  of  the  barracks,  the  Koshe- 
vol,  and  the  will  of  the  whole  Zaporozhlan  army, 
to  march  straight  to  Poland,  to  avenge  all  the 
injury  and  disgrace  to  the  Faith  and  to  kazak 
renown,  to  seize  booty  from  the  cities,  to  start  con- 
flagrations in  the  villages  and  crops,  and  to  spread 
their  fame  far  abroad  over  the  steppe.  All  Im- 
mediately girded  and  armed  themselves.  The 
Koshevoi  grew  two  feet  —  and  more  —  taller. 
He  was  no  longer  the  timid  executor  of  the  friv- 
olous wishes  of  a  free  people;  he  was  the  un- 
trammelled master,  he  was  a  despot  who  under- 
stood only  how  to  command.  All  the  headstrong 
and  uproarious  knights  stood  in  orderly  ranks, 
with  respectfully  bowed  heads,  not  venturing  to 
lift  their  eyes  when  the  Koshevoi  issued  his  orders; 
he  gave  them  quietly,  without  shouting,  without 
haste,  but  with  pauses,  like  an  old  man  deeply 
learned  in  kazak  affairs,  and  putting  into  execu- 
tion, not  for  the  first  time,  a  wisely-matured  enter- 
prise. 

"  Examine      yourselves, —  inspect      yourselves 


no  TARAS  BULB  A 

thoroughly,  all  of  you,"  he  said,  "  put  your  teams 
and  your  tar-boxes  in  order,  test  your  weapons. 
Take  not  many  garments  with  you :  a  shirt  and  a 
couple  of  pairs  of  trousers  to  each  kazak,  and  a 
pot  of  dried  oatmeal  and  ground  millet  apiece, — 
let  no  one  take  any  more !  There  will  be  plenty  of 
provisions,  all  that's  needed,  in  the  wagons.  Let 
every  kazak  have  two  horses.  And  two  hundred 
yoke  of  oxen  must  be  taken,  for  we  shall  require 
them  at  the  fords  and  marshy  places.  Maintain 
order,  noble  sirs,  above  all  things.  I  know  that 
there  are  some  among  you  who,  as  soon  as  God 
sends  greed,  will  immediately  tear  up  nankin  and 
rich  velvets  to  make  themselves  foot-wrappers. 
Leave  off  such  devilish  habits;  spurn  every  petti- 
coat, and  take  only  weapons,  if  you  happen  to 
come  across  good  ones,  and  ducats  or  silver,  noble 
sirs,  for  they  are  subject  to  capture,  and  useful  in 
any  case.  And  I'll  tell  you  this  beforehand,  noble 
sirs:  if  any  one  gets  drunk  on  this  expedition,  he 
will  receive  short  shrift:  I'll  order  him  to  be 
chained  by  the  neck  like  a  dog,  to  a  transport,  no 
matter  who  he  may  be,  even  were  he  the  most 
heroic  kazak  in  the  whole  army;  he  shall  be  shot 
on  the  spot  hke  a  dog,  and  flung  out  to  be  torn  by 
the  birds  of  prey,  without  burial,  for  a  drunkard 
on  the  march  deserves  not  Christian  burial. 
Young  men,  obey  the  old  men  in  all  things!     If  a 


TARAS  BULB  A  in 

ball  grazes  you,  or  a  sword  cuts  your  head  or  any 
other  part,  pay  no  heed  to  such  trifles.  Mix  a 
charge  of  powder  in  a  cup  of  brandy,  quaff  heart- 
ily of  it,  and  all  will  pass  off  —  you  will  not  even 
have  any  fever;  and  if  the  wound  is  not  too  large, 
put  simple  earth  on  it,  mixing  it  first  with  spittle  in 
your  palm,  and  it  will  dry  up  the  wound.  And 
now,  to  work,  to  work,  my  lads;  get  into  action, 
but  without  over-haste." 

So  spoke  the  Koshevoi;  and  no  sooner  had  he 
finished  his  speech  than  all  the  kazaks  instantly  set 
to  work.  All  the  Syech  sobered  up,  and  there  was 
not  a  single  drunken  man  to  be  found,  any  more 
than  if  there  never  had  been  such  a  thing  among 
the  kazaks.  Some  kazaks  repaired  the  fellies  of 
the  wheels,  others  shifted  the  axles  of  the  carts; 
some  carried  sacks  of  provisions  to  the  transport 
wagons,  while  other  wagons  they  loaded  with 
arms;  others,  still,  drove  up  the  horses  and  oxen. 
On  all  sides  resounded  the  trampling  of  horses' 
hoofs,  test-shots  from  the  guns,  the  clang  of 
swords,  the  lowing  of  oxen,  the  screech  of  turning 
wagons,  talking,  shrill  cries,  and  urging  on  of 
cattle ;  —  and  soon  the  kazak  camp  stretched  far 
over  the  plain.  And  he  who  might  have  under- 
taken to  run  from  its  head  to  its  tail  would  have 
had  a  long  course.  In  the  tiny  wooden  church  the 
priest    held    a    special    service    of    prayer,    and 


112  TARAS  BULB  A 

sprinkled  every  one  with  holy  water;  all  kissed  the 
cross.  When  the  horde  started  and  moved  out  of 
the  Syech  all  the  Zaporozhtzi  turned  their  heads 
for  a  last  look :  "  Farewell,  our  mother !  "  they 
said,  almost  in  one  breath.  **  May  God  preserve 
thee  from  all  misfortune !  '* 

As  he,  passed  through  the  suburb,  Taras  Bulba 
saw  that  his  Jew,  Yankel,  had  already  erected  a 
sort  of  stall  with  an  awning,  and  was  selling  flints, 
screw-drivers,  powder,  and  all  sorts  of  military 
stores  needed  on  the  road,  even  rolls  and  loaves  of 
bread.  "  What  devils  those  Jews  are !  "  said 
Taras  to  himself;  and  riding  up  to  him,  he  said: 
"  Fool,  why  are  you  sitting  here  ?  do  you  want  to 
be  shot  like  a  sparrow?  " 

Yankel,  in  reply,  came  as  near  to  him  as  possible, 
and  making  signs  with  both  hands,  as  though  de- 
sirous of  imparting  some  secret,  said:  "  Let  the 
noble  lord  but  keep  silence,  and  say  nothing  to  any 
one.  Among  the  kazak  wagons  is  a  cart  of  mine; 
I  am  carrying  all  sorts  of  needful  stores  for  the 
kazaks,  and  on  the  journey  I  will  furnish  every 
sort  of  provision  at  a  lower  price  than  any  Jew 
ever  sold  before.  'TIs  so,  God  is  my  witness — • 
God  Is  my  witness,  'tis  so !  " 

Taras  Bulba  shrugged  his  shoulders  in  amaze- 
ment at  the  Jewish  nature,  and  rode  on  to  the 
horde. 


CHAPTER  FIVE 


\ 


ALL  Southwest  Poland  speedily  became  a 
prey  to  fear.  Everywhere  the  rumour 
flew:  "The  Zaporozhtzi!  The  Zapo- 
rozhtzi  have  appeared !  "  All  who  could  flee, 
did  so.  All  rose  up  and  scattered,  after  the  man- 
ner of  that  lawless,  reckless  age,  when  men  built 
neither  fortresses  nor  castles,  but  each  erected  his 
temporary  dwelling  of  straw  at  haphazard. 
Each  man  thought :  "  'Tis  useless  to  waste  money 
and  labour  on  a  cottage;  'twill  be  swept  away,  in 
any  case,  In  a  Tatar  raid."  Every  one  took 
fright;  one  exchanged  his  plough  and  oxen  for  a 
horse  and  gun;  another  hid,  driving  off  his  cattle, 
and  carrying  away  all  he  could.  Occasionally,  on 
the  road,  some  were  encountered  who  greeted  their 
visitors  with  arms  in  hand;  but  more  numerous 
were  those  who  fled  before  their  arrival.  Every 
one  knew  that  it  was  difficult  to  deal  with  the  wild 
and  warlike  horde  known  by  the  name  of  the 
Zaporozhlan  army,  which,  beneath  Its  reckless  and 
disorderly  exterior,  concealed  an  organisation  well 
calculated   for  times   of  battle.     The   horsemen 

"5 


ii6  TARAS  BULBA 

rode  on  without  overburdening  or  heating  their 
horses;  the  foot-soldiers  marched  soberly  behind 
the  wagons;  and  the  whole  camp  moved  only  by 
night,  resting  during  the  day,  and  selecting  for  this 
purpose  the  wilderness,  uninhabited  places,  and 
the  forests,  of  which  there  was  then  an  abundance. 
Spies  and  scouts  were  sent  ahead  to  ferret  out  the 
where,  the  what,  and  the  how.  And  often  they 
made  their  appearance  suddenly  In  the  places 
where  they  were  least  expected  —  and  then  every 
one  bade  farewell  to  life ;  the  villages  were  burned; 
the  horses  and  cattle  which  were  not  driven  off 
behind  the  army,  were  killed  on  the  spot.  They 
seemed  to  be  revelling,  rather  than  carrying  out  a 
raid.  Our  hair  would  rise  on  end  nowadays,  at 
the  horrible  exhibitions  of  savagery  of  that  fierce, 
half-civilised  age,  which  the  Zaporozhtzl  every- 
where displayed.  Children  slain,  women's  breasts 
cut  off,  the  skin  flayed  from  the  feet  up  to  the 
knees  of  victims  who  were  then  set  at  liberty :  In  a 
word,  the  kazaks  paid  old  debts  In  coin  of  full 
weight.  The  Prelate  of  one  monastery,  on  hear- 
ing of  their  approach,  despatched  two  monks  to 
say  that  they  were  not  behaving  as  they  should; 
that  an  agreement  existed  between  the  Zaporo- 
zhtzl and  the  Government;  that  they  were  break- 
ing faith  with  the  King,  and  all  International  right. 
"  Tell  your  Bishop,  from  me  and  from  all  the 


TARAS  BULB  A  117 

'aporozhtzl/'  said  the  Koshevol,  ''  that  he  has 
nothing  to  fear;  the  kazaks,  so  far,  are  only  light- 
ing and  smoking  their  pipes."  And  the  mag- 
nificent abbey  was  soon  wrapped  In  the  devouring 
flames,  and  Its  colossal  Gothic  windows  gazed 
grimly  through  the  waves  of  fire  as  they  parted. 
Fleeing  throngs  of  monks,  women  and  Jews  sud- 
denly flooded  those  towns  where  there  was  any 
hope  in  the  garrison  and  the  town-defences.  The 
belated  succour,  despatched  from  time  to  time  by 
the  Government,  consisting  of  a  few  small  regi- 
ments, either  could  not  find  them,  or,  seized  with 
fright,  turned  tall  at  the  very  first  encounter,  and 
fled  on  their  swift  horses.  So  It  came  to  pass  that 
many  of  the  royal  commanders,  who  had  con- 
quered in  former  battles,  resolved  to  unite  their 
forces,  and  present  a  front  to  the  Zaporozhtzi 

And  here,  more  than  all,  did  our  young  kazaks, 
who  avoided  robbery,  cupidity  and  a  weak  enemy, 
and  were  burning  with  the  desire  to  distinguish 
themselves  in  the  presence  of  the  chiefs,  endeavour 
to  measure  themselves  in  single  combat  with  a 
warlike  and  boastful  Lyakh,  prancing  on  his 
spirited  horse,  with  the  sleeves  of  his  jacket  thrown 
back  and  streaming  in  the  wind.  This  science  was 
inspiriting;  they  had  already  won  for  themselves 
many  horse-trappings,  valuable  swords,  and  guns. 
In  a  single  month,  the  newly-fledged  birds  had 


ii8  TARAS  BULB  A 

attained  their  full  growth,  were  completely  trans- 
formed, and  had  become  men;  their  features,  in 
which,  hitherto  a  trace  of  youthful  softness  had 
been  discernible,  had  now  grown  grim.  And  it 
was  pleasant  to  old  Taras,  to  see  both  his  sons 
among  the  leaders.  It  seemed  as  though  Ostap 
were  designed  by  nature  for  the  pursuit  of  war  and 
the  difficult  art  of  conducting  military  operations. 
Never  once  losing  his  head,  or  becoming  con- 
fused under  any  circumstances,  with  a  cool 
audacity  which  was  almost  supernatural  in  a  youth 
of  two  and  twenty,  he  could,  in  an  instant,  gauge 
the  danger,  and  grasp  the  whole  scope  of  the  mat- 
ter, could  instantly  devise  a  means  of  escaping  it, 
but  of  escaping  it  only  that  he  might  the  more 
surely  conquer  it.  His  movements  now  began  to 
be  distinguished  by  the  assurance  which  springs 
from  experience,  and  in  them  could  be  detected  the 
temperament  of  the  future  great  leader.  His  per- 
son exhaled  strength,  and  his  knightly  qualities  had 
already  assumed  the  broad  power  of  the  lion. 
*^  Oh,  what  a  fine  colonel  that  fellow  will  make  one 
of  these  days!  "  said  old  Taras.  "  By  God,  he'll 
make  a  magnificent  colonel,  far  surpassing  even  his 
father!" 

Andrii  surrendered  himself  wholly  to  the  en- 
chanting music  of  bullets  and  swords.  He  knew 
pot  what  It  was  to  consider  or  to  calculate,  or  to 


TARAS  BULBA  119 

measure  in  advance  his  own  strength  and  the 
enemy's.  He  found  in  battle  a  mad  delight  and 
Intoxication;  he  perceived  something  festal  In  the 
moments  when  a  man's  brain  burns,  when  every- 
thing waves  and  flutters  before  his  eyes,  heads  fly 
off,  horses  fall  to  the  earth  with  a  sound  of  thun- 
der, while  he  rides  on  like  a  drunken  man,  amid 
the  whistling  of  bullets  and  the  flashing  of  swords, 
dealing  blows  to  all,  and  heeding  not  those  dealt 
to  him.  More  than  once  the  father  marvelled, 
also,  at  Andrii,  when  he  beheld  him,  Incited  only 
by  a  passionate  impulse,  hurl  himself  at  something 
which  a  sensible  man  in  cold  blood  would  never 
have  attempted,  and,  by  the  sheer  force  of  his  mad 
onslaught  accomplish  such  wonders  as  could  not 
but  amaze  men  old  in  battle.  Old  Taras  admired, 
and  said:  "  And  he,  too,  will  be  a  good  warrior 
(if  the  enemy  does  not  capture  him).  He's  not 
Ostap,  but  he's  a  fine,  a  grand  warrior,  neverthe- 
less." 

The  army  decided  to  march  straight  to  the  city 
of  Dubno,  where,  so  rumour  asserted,  there  were 
many  treasures  and  wealthy  inhabitants.  The 
journey  was  accomplished  in  a  day  and  a  half,  and 
the  Zaporozhtzl  made  their  appearance  before  the 
city.  The  Inhabitants  resolved  to  defend  them- 
selves to  the  utmost  extent  of  their  power,  to  the 
last   extremity,    and   preferred   to    die    in   their 


I20  TARAS  BULB  A 

squares  and  streets,  before  their  own  thresholds, 
rather  than  admit  the  enemy  to  their  houses.  A 
high  earthen  rampart  surrounded  the  city;  in 
places  where  the  rampart  was  somewhat  lower 
there  rose  up  a  stone  wall,  or  a  house,  or  even  an 
oaken  stockade,  which  served  as  a  battery.  The 
garrison  was  strong,  and  felt  the  importance  of 
their  business.  The  Zaporozhtzi  attacked  the 
rampart  fiercely,  but  were  met  by  a  shower  of 
grapeshot.  The  citizens  and  residents  of  the 
town  evidently  did  not  wish  to  remain  idle,  either, 
and  stood  In  groups  upon  the  rampart;  In  their 
eyes  could  be  read  desperate  resistance.  The 
women,  also,  were  determined  to  take  part,  and 
rained  down  upon  the  heads  of  the  Zaporozhtzi 
stones,  casks,  pots,  and,  finally,  boiling  water  and 
sacks  of  sand,  which  blinded  them.  The  Zapo- 
rozhtzi were  not  fond  of  dealing  with  fortified 
places:  sieges  were  not  In  their  line.  The 
Koshevol  ordered  a  retreat,  and  said:  *'  'TIs  use- 
less, brother  nobles ;  we  will  retire :  but  may  I  be  a 
heathen  Tatar  and  not  a  Christian,  if  we  don't 
clean  them  out  of  that  town  I  Let  them  all  perish 
of  hunger,  the  dogs  I  "  The  army  retreated.  In- 
vested the  town  on  all  sides,  and,  for  lack  of  some- 
thing to  do,  busied  themselves  with  devastating  the 
surrounding  country,  burning  the  neighbouring  vil- 
lages, the  ricks  of  unthreshed  grain,  and  turning 


TARAS  BULBA  121 

their  droves  of  horses  loose  in  the  fields  as  yet  un- 
touched by  the  reaping-hook,  where,  as  though 
intentionally  prepared  for  them,  waved  the  plump 
ears,  the  fruit  of  an  unusual  harvest,  liberally  re- 
warding all  tillers  of  the  soil  that  season. 

With  horror,  the  inhabitants,  looking  on  from 
the  city,  beheld  their  means  of  subsistence  de- 
stroyed. And,  meanwhile,  the  Zaporozhtzi,  hav- 
ing formed  a  double  cordon  of  their  wagons 
around  the  city,  disposed  themselves  as  in  the 
Syech  in  their  barracks,  smoked  their  pipes,  bar- 
tered their  booty  for  weapons,  played  at  leap-frog, 
at  odd-and-even,  and  gazed  at  the  city  with  deadly 
cold-bloodedness.  At  night  they  lighted  their 
camp-fires :  the  cooks  boiled  the  porridge  for  each 
kuren  in  huge  copper  kettles;  an  unsleeping  senti- 
nel stood  all  night  long  beside  the  blazing  fires. 
But  the  Zaporozhtzi  soon  began  to  tire  of  inactiv- 
ity and  prolonged  sobriety,  unaccompanied  by  any 
fighting.  The  Koshevoi  even  ordered  the  allow- 
ance of  liquor  to  be  doubled,  which  was  sometimes 
done  in  the  army  when  difficult  enterprises  or  op- 
erations were  under  way.  The  young  men  in  gen- 
eral, and  Taras  Bulba's  sons  in  particular,  did  not 
like  this  life.  Andrii  was  visibly  bored.  **  You 
silly  head!"  said  Taras  to  him:  "  Be  patient, 
kazak,  you  will  be  Ataman  some  day.  And  he  is 
not  a  good  warrior  who  loses  his  spirit  In  an  Im- 


122  TARAS  BULB  A 

portant  affair;  but  he  is  good  who  does  not  weary 
even  of  inaction,  who  endures  everything,  and,  no 
matter  what  you  do  to  him,  turns  it  to  account." 
But  hot  youth  cannot  agree  with  age :  the  two  have 
different  natures,  and  they  look  at  the  same  thing 
with  different  eyes. 

But,  in  the  meantime,  Taras's  regiment,  led  by 
Tovkach,  arrived;  with  him  were,  also,  two 
Yesauls,  the  Scribe,  and  other  regimental  offi- 
cers: the  kazaks  numbered  over  four  thousand 
In  all.  There  were  among  them  many  volunteers, 
who  had  risen  of  their  own  free  will,  without  any 
summons,  as  soon  as  they  heard  what  the  matter 
was.  The  Yesauls  brought  to  Taras's  sons  the 
blessing  of  their  aged  mother,  and  to  each  a  holy 
Image  of  cypress-wood,  from  the  Mezhlgorsk 
monastery  In  Kiev.  The  two  brothers  hung  the 
holy  ikoni  round  their  necks,  and  involuntarily 
grew  pensive,  as  they  recalled  their  old  mother. 
What  did  this  blessing  prophesy,  what  did  it  say  to 
them?  Was  It  a  blessing  for  their  victory  over 
the  enemy,  and  then  a  joyful  return  to  their  home 
with  booty  and  glory,  to  be  everlastingly  com- 
memorated In  the  songs  of  the  bandura-players,  or 
was  It  .  .  .   ? 

But  the  future  Is  not  to  be  known,  and  stands 
before- a  man  like  autumnal  fogs  rising  from  the 
swamps:  birds  fly  to  and  fro  In  it,  with  flapping 


TARAS  BULB  A  123 

wings,  never  recognising  one  another,  the  dove  not 
seeing  the  vulture,  nor  the  vulture  the  dove,  and 
no  one  knows  how  near  he  may  be  flying  to  his 
destruction. 

Ostap  had,  long  before,  attended  to  his  duties, 
and  gone  to  the  barrack.  Andrii,  without  know- 
ing why,  felt  a  sort  of  oppression  in  his  heart. 
The  kazaks  had  finished  their  evening  meal;  the 
evening  had  fully  quieted  down,  the  wonderful 
July  night  ruled  the  air:  but  he  did  not  go  to  the 
barracks,  he  did  not  lie  down  to  sleep,  and  invol- 
untarily he  surveyed  the  whole  scene  before  him. 
In  the  sky,  with  a  thin,  sharp  gleam,  twinkled  in- 
numerable stars.  The  plain  was  covered,  far  and 
wide,  by  wagons  scattered  over  Its  expanse,  their 
•swinging  tar-buckets  smeared  with  tar,  loaded  with 
every  description  of  goods  and  provisions  cap- 
tured from  the  foe.  By  the  side  of  the  carts, 
under  the  carts,  and  far  beyond  the  carts,  Zapo- 
rozhtzi  were  everywhere  visible,  stretched  out 
upon  the  grass, —  all  asleep  in  picturesque  atti- 
tudes: one  had  thrust  a  sack  under  his  head, 
another  his  cap,  still  another  was  simply  making 
use  of  his  comrade's  side.  Swords,  guns,  arque- 
buses, short-stemmed  pipes  with  copper  mount- 
ings, iron  awls,  and  a  flint  and  steel  were  Insep- 
arable from  every  kazak.  The  heavy  oxen,  with 
legs  doubled  under  them,  lay  In  huge,  whitish 


124  TARAS  BULB  A 

masses,  and  at  a  distance  looked  like  grey  stones 
scattered  on  the  slopes  of  the  plain.  On  all  sides 
the  heavy  snores  of  sleeping  warriors  had  already 
begun  to  rise  from  the  grass,  and  were  answered 
from  the  plain  by  the  ringing  neighs  of  their 
steeds,  chafing  at  their  hobbled  feet.  Meanwhile, 
a  certain  grim  magnificence  was  mingled  with  the 
beauty  of  the  July  night.  It  was  the  distant  glare 
of  conflagrations  from  the  country  round  about. 
In  one  place  the  flames  spread  tranquilly  and 
grandly  over  the  sky;  In  another,  having  encoun- 
tered something  else  on  fire,  they  suddenly  burst 
into  a  whirlwind,  and  flew,  hissing,  upwards,  to  the 
very  stars,  and  torn  fragments  faded  away  in  the 
most  distant  quarter  of  the  heavens.  There  a 
black  monastery  like  a  grim  Carthusian  monk 
stood  threatening,  and  displaying  Its  dark  magnifi- 
cence at  every  flash;  yonder  burned  the  monastery 
garden.  It  seemed  as  though  the  trees  could  be 
heard  hissing,  as  they  wrapped  themselves  in 
smoke ;  and  when  the  fire  leaped  aside.  It  suddenly 
lighted  up  with  a  phosphorescent  lilac-rose-hued 
gleam  the  ripe  plums,  or  turned  the  yellowing 
pears  here  and  there  to  ruddy  gold;  and  there, 
among  them  all,  on  the  wall  of  a  building  or 
against  the  trunk  of  a  tree,  a  black  blot,  hung  the 
body  of  a  poor  Jew  or  monk  who  had  perished  in 
the  flames  with  the  building.     Far  away,  high 


TARAS  BULB  A  125 

above  the  conflagration,  hovered  birds,  which 
looked  like  a  cluster  of  tiny  black  crosses  upon  a 
fiery  background.  The  town,  thus  laid  bare, 
seemed  asleep ;  its  spires  and  roofs,  and  the  stock- 
ade and  walls  flashed  quietly  in  the  glare  of  the 
distant  conflagrations.  Andrii  made  the  rounds 
of  the  kazak  ranks.  The  fires  beside  which  the 
sentinels  sat  were  on  the  point  of  dying  out;  and 
even  the  sentinels  were  asleep,  having  devoured 
oatmeal  and  dumplings  with  genuine  kazak  appe- 
tites. He  was  amazed  at  such  carelessness,  and 
said  to  himself:  "  'Tis  well  that  there  is  no 
strong  enemy  near  at  hand,  and  no  one  to  fear." 
At  last  he  went  to  one  of  the  transport-wagons, 
climbed  into  It,  and  lay  down  upon  his  back,  thrust- 
ing his  clasped  hands  under  his  head;  but 
he  could  not  sleep,  and  gazed  long  at  the  sky.  It 
was  all  open  before  him;  the  air  was  pure  and 
transparent;  the  dense  mass  of  stars  which  consti- 
tutes the  Milky  Way,  and  traverses  the  sky  in  a 
belt,  was  flooded  with  light.  From  time  to  time 
Andrii  forgot  himself,  to  a  degree,  and  a  light  mist 
of  dreaming  seemed  to  veil  the  heavens  from  him 
for  a  moment;  and  then  it  cleared  away,  and  they 
became  visible  again. 

During  one  of  these  intervals  it  seemed  to  him 
that  some  strange  human  figure  was  flitting  before 
him.     Thinking  It  was  merely  a  dream-apparition 


126  TARAS  BULBA 

which  would  immediately  fade  away,  he  opened  his 
eyes  fully  and  beheld  a  withered,  emaciated  face 
bending  over  him,  and  gazing  straight  into  his 
eyes.  The  long,  coal-black  hair  fell,  uncoiffed, 
dishevelled,  from  beneath  a  dark  veil  which  was 
thrown  over  the  head;  and  the  strange  glitter  of 
the  eyes  and  the  death-like  brown  tone  of  the  face, 
which  threw  the  sharply-cut  features  into  relief, 
inclined  him  to  beheve  that  it  was  an  apparition. 
His  hand  Involuntarily  grasped  his  arquebuse,  and 
he  exclaimed  almost  convulsively:  **  Who  are 
you?  If  you  are  an  evil  spirit,  begone  from  my 
sight!  If  you  are  a  living  being,  you  have  chosen 
an  unseemly  time  for  your  jest;  I  will  kill  you  with 
a  single  shot!  " 

In  answer  to  this,  the  apparition  laid  its  finger 
upon  its  lips,  and  seemed  to  entreat  silence.  He 
dropped  his  hand,  and  began  to  scrutinise  it  more 
attentively.  He  recognised  it  as  a  woman  from 
the  long  hair,  the  brown  neck,  the  half-concealed 
bosom.  But  she  was  not  a  native  of  those  re- 
gions; her  whole  face  was  swarthy,  wasted  by  dis- 
ease ;  her  broad  cheek-bones  stood  out  prominently 
above  her  hollow  cheeks ;  her  narrow  eyes  rose  up- 
wards in  an  arch.  The  more  he  gazed  at  her 
features,  the  more  he  discerned  in  them  that  which 
was  familiar.  At  last,  unable  to  restrain  himself 
longer,  he  said:     "[Tell  me,  who  are  you?     It 


TARAS  BULB  A  127 

seems  to  me  that  I  know  you,  or  have  seen  you 
somewhere." 

"  Two  years  ago,  in  Kiev." 

"  Two  years  ago,  in  Kiev !  "  repeated  Andrii, 
endeavouring  to  collect  in  his  mind  all  that  still  lin- 
gered In  his  memory  of  his  former  student  life. 
He  looked  intently  at  her  once  more,  and  suddenly 
exclaimed,  at  the  top  of  his  voice:  *'  You  are  the 
Tatar!  the  servant  of  the  young  noblewoman,  the 
Voevod's  daughter!  " 

"S-sh!"  cried  the  Tatar,  clasping  her  hands 
with  a  gesture  of  supplication,  trembling  all  over, 
and  turning  her  head  round  in  order  to  see  whether 
any  one  had  been  waked  up  by  Andrii's  loud  ex- 
clamation. 

*' Tell  me,  tell  me,  why  are  you  here?"  said 
Andrii,  almost  panting.  In  a  whisper,  Interrupted 
every  moment  by  inward  emotion.  "  Where  is 
the  young  lady?  is  she  alive?  " 

"  She  is  now  In  the  city." 

"  In  the  city!  "  he  exclaimed,  again  almost  in  a 
shriek,  and  felt  that  all  the  blood  suddenly  flew 
to  his  heart.     '*  Why  is  she  In  the  city?  " 

*'  Because  the  old  nobleman  himself  is  in  the 
city:  he  has  been  Voevod  of  Dubno  for  the  last 
year  and  a  half." 

"Is  she  married?  How  strange  you  look! 
Tell  me  about  her!  " 


128  TARAS  BULBA 

"  She  has  had  nothing  to  eat  for  two  days/' 
"What!'^ 

*'  Not  one  of  the  inhabitants  has  had  a  morsel 
of  bread  for  a  long  while  past;  all  have  been  eat- 
ing earth  only." 

Andrii  was  astonished. 

**  The  young  lady  saw  you  from  the  city  ram- 
parts, among  the  Zaporozhtzl.  She  said  to  me, 
*  Go,  say  to  the  knight:  If  he  remembers  me,  let 
him  come  to  me ;  and  do  not  forget  to  make  him 
give  you  a  bit  of  bread  for  my  aged  mother,  for  I 
do  not  wish  to  see  my  mother  die  before  my  very 
eyes.'  Better  that  I  should  die  first,  and  she  after- 
wards! Beseech  him:  clasp  his  knees,  his  feet: 
he,  also,  has  an  aged  mother;  let  him  give  you 
bread  for  her  sake.'  " 

Many  feelings  awoke  and  flamed  up  In  the 
young  kazak's  breast. 

"  But  how  came  you  hither?  By  what  road  did 
you  arrive  ?  " 

"  By  an  underground  passage." 
"  Is  there  an  underground  passage  ?  " 
"Yes."  '    i 

"Where?'*  ' 

"You  will  not  betray  it,  knight?" 
"  I  swear  by  the  holy  Cross  that  I  will  not." 
"  You  must  descend  into  the  gully,  and  cross  the 
water-course  yonder,  among  the  reeds." 


TARAS  BULB  A  129 

"  And  It  leads  into  the  city?  '* 

"  Straight  into  the  town  monastery." 

"  Let  us  go,  let  us  go,  at  once!  " 

"  A  bit  of  bread,  in  the  name  of  Christ  and  of 
His  holy  Mother!" 

"  Good,  so  be  it.  Stand  here  beside  the  wagon 
—  or,  better  still,  lie  down  in  it;  no  one  will  see 
you,  all  are  asleep.     I  will  return  Immediately." 

And  he  set  off  for  the  transports,  which  con- 
tained the  provisions  belonging  to  their  barrack. 
His  heart  beat  violently.  All  the  past,  all  that 
had  been  extinguished  by  the  kazak  bivouacs,  by 
the  stern  battle  of  life,  flamed  up  at  once  to  the  sur- 
face, and,  in  its  turn,  drowned  the  present. 
Again,  as  from  the  dark  depths  of  the  sea,  the 
proud  woman  rose  up  before  him:  again  in  his 
memory  shone  forth  her  beautiful  arms,  her  eyes, 
her  laughing  mouth,  her  thick,  dark  chestnut  hair, 
falling  in  curls  upon  her  shoulders,  the  elastic, 
well-knit  members  of  her  maiden  figure.  No, 
they  had  not  been  extinguished  In  his  breast;  they 
had  not  vanished:  they  had  simply  withdrawn  to 
one  side.  In  order,  for  a  time,  to  make  way  for 
other  strong  emotions;  but  often,  very  often,  the 
young  kazak's  deep  slumbers  had  been  troubled  by 
them,  and  often,  waking,  he  had  lain  sleepless  on 
his  bed,  without  being  able  to  explain  the  cause. 

He  walked  on ;  but  his  heart  beat  more  violently 


I30  TARAS  BULBA 

still  at  the  mere  thought  of  seeing  her  again,  and 
his  young  knees  shook.  When  he  reached  the 
transport,  he  had  utterly  forgotten  the  reason  for 
his  coming;  he  raised  his  hand  to  his  brow,  and 
rubbed  it  long,  trying  to  recollect  what  he  meant  to 
do.  At  last  he  trembled,  and  was  filled  with  terror : 
the  thought  suddenly  occurred  to  him  that  she  was 
dying  of  hunger.  He  flung  himself  upon  the  wagon 
and  seized  several  large  loaves  of  black  bread; 
but  then  he  thought:  "Is  not  this  food,  which 
is  suited  to  a  robust  and  easily-satisfied  Zaporo- 
zhetz,  too  coarse  and  unfit  for  her  delicate 
frame?'*  Then  he  remembered  that  the  Kosh- 
evoi,  on  the  previous  evening,  had  reproved  the 
cooks  for  having  cooked  up  all  the  buckwheat  flour 
into  porridge  at  once,  when  there  was  plenty  for 
at  least  three  times.  In  the  full  assurance  that  he 
would  find  plenty  of  porridge  in  the  kettles,  he  drew 
out  his  father's  travelling  kettle,  and  went  with  it 
to  the  cook  of  their  barrack,  who  was  sleeping 
alongside  two  huge  kettles,  holding  about  ten 
bucketfuls  apiece,  under  which  the  ashes  still 
glowed.  Glancing  into  them,  he  was  amazed  to 
find  both  empty.  Supernatural  powers  must  have 
been  required  to  eat  it  all,  the  more  so  as  their 
barrack  numbered  fewer  men  than  the  others. 
He  looked  into  the  kettles  of  the  other  kurens, — 
nothing  anywhere.     Involuntarily  there  recurred 


TARAS  BULBA  131 

to  his  mind,  *'  The  Zaporozhtzi  are  like  children: 
if  there  is  little  they  eat  it,  if  there  Is  much  they 
leave  nothing."  What  was  he  to  do?  Still, 
somewhere  In  the  wagon  belonging  to  his  father's 
regiment  there  was,  he  thought,  a  sack  of  white 
bread,  which  they  had  found  when  they  pillaged 
the  bakery  of  a  monastery.  He  went  straight  to 
his  father's  load,  but  it  was  not  there.  Ostap  had 
taken  it  and  put  it  under  his  head;  and  there  he 
lay,  stretched  out  on  the  ground,  snoring  so  that 
the  whole  plain  reverberated.  Andrii  seized  the 
sack  abruptly  with  one  hand,  and  gave  It  a  jerk, 
so  that  Ostap's  head  fell  on  the  ground,  and  the 
latter  sprang  up,  half  awake,  and  sitting  there, 
with  closed  eyes,  shouted  at  the  top  of  his  lungs: 
*'  Stop  him !  Stop  the  damned  Lyakh !  Catch 
the  horse  I  "— '^  Silence !  I'll  kill  you !  "  shouted 
Andril,  In  terror,  brandishing  the  sack  over  him. 
But  Ostap  did  not  continue  his  speech,  quieted 
down,  and  emitted  such  a  snore  that  the  grass  on 
which  he  lay  undulated  with  his  breath. 

Andrii  glanced  timidly  about  him  on  all  sides,  to 
see  If  Ostap's  dream-ravings  had  waked  any  of  the 
kazaks.  Only  one  scalp-locked  head  rose  up  in 
the  adjoining  barrack,  glanced  about,  then 
dropped  back  on  the  ground.  After  waiting  a 
couple  of  minutes,  he  set  out  with  his  burden. 
The  Tatar  woman  still  lay  there,  scarcely  breath- 


132  TARAS  BULBA 

ing.  "  Rise,  let  us  go !  Fear  not,  all  are  sleep- 
ing. Can  you  take  one  of  these  loaves  if  I  cannot 
carry  all?  "  So  saying,  he  flung  the  sacks  on  his 
back,  pulled  out  another  sack  of  millet  as  he  passed 
a  wagon,  took  in  his  hands  the  loaves  he  had 
wanted  to  give  the  Tatar  woman  to  carry  and, 
bending  somewhat  under  his  load,  went  boldly 
through  the  ranks  of  slumbering  Zaporozhtzi. 

"  Andrii,"  said  old  Bulba  as  he  passed.  His 
heart  died  within  him.  He  halted,  all  of  a 
tremble,  and  said  softly:     *' What  is  it?" 

"  There's  a  woman  with  you !  When  I  get  up 
ril  give  you  a  sound  thrashing!  Women  will 
lead  you  to  no  good."  So  saying,  he  leaned  his 
head  upon  his  hand,  and  gazed  intently  at  the 
muffled  form  of  the  Tatar. 

Andrii  stood  there  more  dead  than  alive,  not 
daring  to  look  his  father  in  the  face.  And  when 
he  did  raise  his  eyes  and  glance  at  him,  old  Bulba 
was  fast  asleep,  with  his  head  resting  in  the  palm 
of  his  hand. 

He  made  the  sign  of  the  cross  on  his  breast. 
Fear  fled  from  his  heart  even  more  rapidly  than  it 
had  attacked  it.  When  he  turned  to  look  at  the 
Tatar  woman,  she  stood  before  him  like  a  dark, 
granite  statue,  all  muffled  in  her  veil;  and  the  glow 
of  the  crimson  glare  in  the  distance  lighted  up  only 
her  eyes,  dull  as  the  eyes  of  a  corpse.    He  plucked 


TARAS  BULBA  133 

her  by  the  sleeve,  and  both  went  on  together, 
glancing  Incessantly  behind  them;  and,  at  last,  they 
descended  the  slope  Into  a  small  ravine,  almost  a 
hole,  at  the  bottom  of  which  a  stream  flowed 
lazily,  overgrown  with  sedge,  and  strewn  with 
mossy  hummocks.  Descending  Into  this  ravine 
they  were  completely  concealed  from  view  of  all 
the  plain  occupied  by  the  Zaporozhlan  camp.  At 
least,  Andril,  as  he  glanced  back,  saw  that  the 
abrupt  declivity  rose  behind  him  like  a  steep  wall, 
taller  than  a  man's  stature.  On  its  crest  waved  a 
few  stalks  of  steppe-grass;  and  above  them,  in  the 
sky,  hung  the  moon,  like  a  reaping-hook  of  pure, 
ruddy  gold,  set  a-slant.  The  breeze,  blowing  off 
the  steppe,  warned  them  that  the  dawn  was  not  far 
off.  But  nowhere  was  the  distant  crow  of  a  cock 
audible.  There  had  been  not  a  single  cock  for  a 
long  time  past,  either  In  the  city  or  in  the  devas- 
tated neighbourhood.  They  crossed  the  stream  on 
a  narrow  plank,  beyond  which  rose  the  opposite 
bank,  that  appeared  higher  than  the  one  behind 
them,  and  formed  a  complete  precipice.  It 
seemed  as  though  this  were  a  strong  and  solid 
point  of  the  citadel ;  at  all  events,  the  earthen  ram- 
part was  lower  there,  and  no  garrison  appeared 
behind  It.  But  further  on  rose  the  thick  mon- 
astery wall.  The  precipitous  bank  was  all  over- 
grown with  steppe-grass,  and  In  the  narrow  ravine 


134  TARAS  BULBA 

between  it  and  the  stream  grew  tall  reeds,  almost 
to  the  height  of  a  man.  At  the  summit  of  the 
ravine  were  visible  the  remains  of  a  wattled  fence, 
revealing  that  a  garden  had  once  existed  there;  In 
front  of  it,  the  broad  leaves  of  the  burdock,  from 
among  which  rose  pig-weed  and  blackthorn,  and 
sunflowers,  rearing  their  heads  high  above  all  the 
rest.  Here  the  Tatar  flung  off  her  high-heeled 
slippers,  and  went  bare-foot,  gathering  up  her 
gown  carefully,  for  the  spot  was  marshy,  and 
soaked  with  water.  Forcing  their  way  through 
the  reeds,  they  halted  before  a  pile  of  faggots  and 
brushwood.  Pushing  aside  the  brushwood,  they 
found  a  sort  of  earthen  arch  —  an  opening  not 
much  larger  than  the  mouth  of  an  oven.  The 
Tatar  woman  bent  her  head,  and  went  first. 
Andril  followed,  bending  as  low  as  he  could.  In 
order  to  pass  with  his  sacks ;  and  both  soon  found 
themselves  In  total  darkness. 


/' 


CHAPTER  SIX 


VI 

ANDRII  could  hardly  move  In  the  dark  and 
narrow  earthen  corridor,  as  he  followed 
the  Tatar,  dragging  after  him  his  sacks  of 
bread.  '*  It  will  soon  be  light,"  said  his  guide: 
"we  are  nearing  the  spot  where  I  placed  a  candle." 
And,  in  fact,  the  dark  earthen  walls  began  to 
be  gradually  illuminated.  They  reached  a  little 
widening  where,  apparently,  there  had  once  been  a 
chapel;  at  least,  a  small  table  was  set  against  the 
wall,  like  an  altar-table,  and  above  it  was  visible 
the  faded,  almost  entirely  obliterated  picture  of  a 
Catholic  Madonna.  A  small  silver  lamp  hanging 
before  it  barely  illuminated  it.  The  Tatar 
stooped,  and  picked  up  from  the  earth  a  brass 
candlestick  with  a  tall,  slender  foot,  and  snuffers, 
pin,  and  extinguisher  hanging  from  it  on  chains, 
which  she  had  left  there.  She  lighted  It  at  the 
silver  lamp.  The  light  grew  stronger,  and  as 
they  went  on,  now  illumined  by  it,  and  again  en- 
veloped in  pitchy  shadow,  they  suggested  a  picture 
by  Gerard  Douw. 

The  knight's  handsome,  rosy  countenance,  over- 
137 


138  TARAS  BULBA 

flowing  with  health  and  youth,  presented  a  strong 
contrast  to  the  pale,  emaciated  face  of  his  com- 
panion. The  passage  grew  a  little  more  roomy, 
so  that  Andrii  was  able  to  straighten  himself  up. 
He  gazed  with  curiosity  at  the  earthen  walls. 
Here,  as  in  the  catacombs  at  Kiev,  were  visible 
niches  in  the  walls;  and  here  and  there  stood 
coffins.  In  some  places  they  came  across  human 
bones  which  had  become  softened  with  the  damp- 
ness, and  were  crumbling  into  dust.  It  was  evi- 
dent that  here,  also,  pious  people  had  taken 
refuge  from  the  storms,  sorrows  and  seductions 
of  the  world.  It  was  extremely  damp  in  some 
places ;  under  their  feet  it  was  all  water  at  times. 
Andrii  was  forced  to  halt  frequently,  in  order  to 
allow  his  companion  to  rest,  for  her  fatigue  con- 
stantly increased.  The  small  piece  of  bread  she 
had  swallowed  only  caused  a  pain  in  her  stomach, 
which  had  grown  unused  to  food;  and  she  often 
stood  motionless  for  several  minutes  at  a  time  in 
one  spot. 

At  last  a  small  iron  door  appeared  before  them. 
**  Now,  glory  be  to  God,  we  have  arrived!  "  said 
the  Tatar  in  a  faint  voice,  and  tried  to  raise  her 
hand  to  knock;  but  she  had  not  the  strength. 
Andrii  knocked  loudly  at  the  door  in  her  stead. 
The  echo  which  followed  showed  that  there  was  a 
large   space  beyond  the  door.     Then  the   echo 


TARAS  BULBA  139 

changed,  as  though  encountering  lofty  arches.  In 
a  couple  of  minutes  a  rattling  of  keys  became 
audible,  and  some  one  could  be  heard,  apparently 
descending  a  staircase.  At  last  the  door  opened: 
a  monk,  standing  on  a  narrow  staircase,  with  the 
key  and  a  candle  In  his  hands,  admitted  them. 
Andril  Involuntarily  stopped  short  at  the  sight  of 
a  Catholic  monk, —  one  of  those  who  had  aroused 
such  hatred  and  disdain  among  the  kazaks,  who 
had  treated  them  even  more  ruthlessly  than  they 
had  treated  the  Jews. 

The  monk,  on  his  side,  started  back  at  the  sight 
of  a  Zaporozhian  kazak;  but  an  Inaudible  word 
uttered  by  the  Tatar  reassured  him.  He  lighted 
them,  locked  the  door  behind  them,  and  led  them 
up  the  stairs;  and  they  found  themselves  beneath 
the  dark  and  lofty  arches  of  the  monastery  church. 
Before  one  of  the  altars,  adorned  with  tall  candle- 
sticks and  candles,  knelt  a  priest  absorbed  In  silent 
prayer.  Near  him,  on  each  side,  knelt  two  young 
choristers  In  lilac  cassocks,  with  white  lace  sur- 
plices, and  censers  In  their  hands.  He  was  pray- 
ing that  heaven  would  send  down  miraculous  In- 
tervention, that  the  city  might  be  saved;  that  their 
drooping  spirits  might  be  strengthened;  that 
patience  might  be  given  them;  that  the  tempter, 
whispering  complaint  and  weak-spirited  grief  over 
earthly  misfortunes,  might  be  banished.     A  few 


I40  TARAS  BULBA 

women,  resembling  shadows,  knelt  supporting 
themselves  against  the  backs  of  the  chairs  and  dark 
wooden  benches  in  front  of  them,  and  drooping 
their  exhausted  heads  upon  them.  A  few  men 
knelt  sadly,  leaning  against  the  pillars  which  sup- 
ported the  side  arches.  The  stained-glass  win- 
dow above  the  altar  glowed  with  the  rosy  light  of 
dawn;  and  from  it,  on  the  floor,  fell  circles  of 
azure,  yellow  and  other  colours,  suddenly  illumin- 
ating the  dim  church.  The  entire  altar,  even  to  its 
furthest  recesses,  suddenly  shone  forth  in  a  radiant 
halo;  the  smoke  of  the  censers  hung  like  an 
illuminated,  rainbow-hued  cloud  in  the  air. 
Andrii  gazed  from  his  dark  corner,  not  without 
surprise,  at  the  wonders  wrought  by  the  light.  At 
that  moment  the  magnificent  swell  of  the  organ 
suddenly  filled  the  whole  church;  it  grew  deeper 
and  deeper,  increased  in  volume,  passed  into  heavy 
bursts  of  thunder;  and  then,  all  at  once,  turning 
into  heavenly  music,  its  singing  tones  floated  high 
among  the  arches,  suggesting  the  voices  of  young 
maidens,  and  again  descended  into  a  deep  roar 
and  thunder,  and  then  ceased.  And  the  thunder- 
ous pulsations  echoed  long  and  tremulously  among 
the  arches;  and  Andrii,  with  mouth  agape,  was 
amazed  by  the  wondrous  music. 

At  that  moment  he  felt  some  one  pluck  the  skirt 
of  his  kaftan.     "  'Tis  time  to  be  going,"  said  the 


TARAS  BULBA  141] 

Tatar.  They  traversed  the  church  unpercelved 
and  emerged  upon  the  square  in  front.  The  quad- 
rangular square  was  entirely  deserted;  in  the 
middle  of  it  stood  wooden  pillars,  showing  that 
only  a  week  before,  perhaps,  a  provision  market 
had  existed  there.  The  streets,  which  were  then 
unpaved,  were  simply  a  mass  of  dried  mud.  The 
square  was  surrounded  by  a  row  of  small,  one- 
storied  houses  of  stone  or  mud,  on  whose  walls 
were  visible  wooden  stakes  and  posts  to  their  full 
height,  obliquely  crossed  by  carved  wooden  beams, 
as  was  the  manner  of  building  in  those  days,  exam- 
ples of  which  style  of  construction  are  still  to  be 
seen  in  some  parts  of  Lithuania  and  Poland. 
They  were  covered  with  enormously  high  roofs, 
with  a  multitude  of  dormer-windows  and  ventilat- 
ing orifices.  On  one  side,  quite  close  to  the 
church,  and  taller  than  the  others,  rose  a  building 
entirely  detached  from  the  rest;  probably  the 
Town  Hall  or  some  government  office.  It  was  two 
stories  high,  and  above  it.  In  two  arches,  was  built 
a  belvedere,  where  stood  a  watchman;  a  huge 
clock-face  was  inserted  In  the  roof. 

The  square  seemed  dead,  but  Andrii  thought  he 
heard  a  feeble  groan.  Glancing  about  him,  he 
perceived,  on  the  further  side,  a  group  of  two  or 
three  men  lying  almost  motionless  on  the  ground. 
He  fastened  his  eyes  more  Intently  upon  them,  to 


142  TARAS  BULBA 

see  whether  they  were  asleep  or  dead;  and,  at 
the  same  moment,  he  stumbled  over  something 
which  lay  at  his  feet.  It  was  the  dead  body  of  a 
woman,  evidently  a  Jewess.  She  appeared  to  have 
been  young,  though  this  was  not  discernible  in  her 
distorted  and  emaciated  features.  Upon  her 
head  was  a  red  silk  kerchief;  two  rows  of  pearls, 
or  pearl  beads  adorned  the  ear-pieces  of  her  head- 
dress; from  beneath  it  two  or  three  long  curls  in 
curl-papers  hung  down  upon  her  withered  neck, 
with  Its  tightly-drawn  sinews.  Beside  her  lay  a 
baby,  clutching  convulsively  at  her  withered 
breast,  and  squeezing  it  with  Its  fingers  in  involun- 
tary wrath,  at  finding  no  milk  there.  He  neither 
wept  nor  screamed,  and  only  the  gentle  rise  and 
fall  of  his  body  would  lead  one  to  think  that  he  was 
not  dead,  or  at  least  on  the  point  of  breathing  his 
last. 

They  turned  into  a  street,  and  were  suddenly 
stopped  by  a  madman  who,  catching  sight  of  An- 
dril's  precious  burden,  sprang  upon  him  like  a 
tiger,  and  clutched  him,  yelling,  *'  Bread!  "  But 
his  strength  was  not  equal  to  his  madness.  Andrii 
repulsed  him :  he  fell  to  the  ground.  Moved  with 
pity,  Andrii  tossed  him  a  loaf,  upon  which  he 
flung  himself  like  a  mad  dog,  gnawing  and  biting 
It;  and  immediately,  there  in  the  street,  he  expired 


TARAS  BULBA  143 

In  horrible  convulsions,  from  long  disuse  of  eating. 
The  terrible  victims  of  hunger  startled  them  at 
almost  every  step.  Many,  apparently  unable  to 
endure  their  torments  In  their  own  houses,  seemed 
to  have  run  Into  the  streets  to  see  whether  some 
nourishing  power  might,  possibly,  descend  from 
the  air.  At  the  gate  of  one  house  sat  an  old 
woman,  and  It  was  Impossible  to  say  whether  she 
was  asleep,  dead,  or  only  unconscious;  at  all 
events,  she  no  longer  saw  or  heard  anything,  and 
sat  motionless  In  one  spot,  her  head  drooping  on 
her  breast.  From  the  roof  of  another  house  hung 
a  strained  and  withered  body  In  a  rope  noose. 
The  poor  fellow  had  not  been  able  to  endure  the 
tortures  of  hunger  to  the  end,  and  had  preferred 
to  hasten  his  death  by  voluntary  suicide.  At  the 
sight  of  such  terrible  proofs  of  famine,  Andril 
could  not  refrain  from  asking  the  Tatar,  "  Have 
they  really  been  unable  to  find  anything  with  which 
to  sustain  life?  If  a  man  Is  driven  to  extremities, 
then  there  is  no  help  for  It;  he  must  nourish  him- 
self on  that  which  he  has  hitherto  despised;  he 
may  sustain  himself  with  creatures  which  are  for- 
bidden by  the  law.  Anything  may  be  eaten  under 
such  circumstances." 

*'  They  have  eaten  everything,"  said  the  Tatar, 
— "  all  the  animals.     Not  a  horse  or  a  dog,  nor 


144  TARAS  BULBA 

even  a  mouse,  can  be  found  In  the  whole  city. 
We  never  had  any  store  of  provisions  in  the  town: 
they  were  all  brought  in  from  the  villages." 

*'  But  how  can  you,  while  dying  such  a  fearful 
death,  still  dream  of  defending  the  city?  " 

*'  Possibly  the  Voevod  might  have  surrendered; 
but  yesterday  the  Colonel  in  Buzhana  sent  a  hawk 
into  the  city  with  a  note,  saying  that  it  was  not  to 
be  given  up :  that  he  was  coming  to  its  rescue  with 
his  regiment,  and  was  only  waiting  for  another 
colonel,  that  they  might  march  together.  And 
now  they  are  expected  at  any  moment. —  But  we 
have  reached  the  house." 

Andrii  had  already  seen,  from  afar,  the  house 
which  was  unlike  the  others,  and  had  been  built, 
apparently,  by  an  Italian  architect:  It  was  con- 
structed of  thin  red  bricks,  and  had  two  stories. 
The  windows  of  the  lower  story  were  sheltered 
under  lofty  projecting  granite  cornices;  the  upper 
story  consisted  entirely  of  small  arches,  which 
formed  a  gallery;  between  them,  gratings  with 
coats-of-arms  could  be  seen :  on  the  corners  of  the 
houses  were  more  coats-of-arms.  The  broad  ex- 
ternal staircase,  of  tinted  bricks,  abutted  on  the 
square.  At  the  foot  of  the  staircase  sat  sentries, 
one  on  each  side,  who  with  one  hand  held  the  hal- 
berd standing  beside  him  In  a  picturesque  and  sym- 
metrical manner,  and  with  the  other  supported 


TARAS  BULBA  !i45 

IS  drooping  head,  and  in  this  attitude  more 
resembled  statues  than  living  beings.  They  were 
neither  asleep  nor  dozing,  but  seemed  perfectly 
insensible  to  everything;  they  even  paid  no  atten- 
tion when  any  one  ascended  the  stairs.  At  the 
head  of  the  stairs  they  found  a  richly-dressed  war- 
rior, clad  in  armour  from  head  to  foot,  holding  a 
prayer-book  in  his  hand.  He  was  turning  his  dim 
eyes  upon  them  when  the  Tatar  spoke  a  word  to 
him,  and  he  dropped  them  again  upon  the  open 
pages  of  his  book.  They  entered  the  first  cham- 
ber, rather  a  large  one,  serving  as  a  reception- 
room,  or  simply  as  an  ante-room ;  it  was  completely 
filled  with  soldiers,  servants,  huntsmen,  cup-bear- 
ers, and  other  servitors  indispensable  to  the  main- 
tenance of  a  Polish  magnate's  state,  all  seated 
along  the  walls,  in  various  attitudes.  The  reek 
of  extinguished  candles  was  perceptible;  two,  in 
huge  candlesticks,  nearly  as  tall  as  a  man,  which 
stood  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  were  still  burning, 
although  morning  had  long  since  peeped  through 
the  wide,  grated  window.  Andrii  was  about  to 
proceed  straight  to  a  large  oaken  door,  adorned 
with  a  coat-of-arms  and  a  profusion  of  carved 
ornaments;  but  the  Tatar  pulled  his  sleeve,  and 
pointed  to  a  small  door  in  the  side  wall.  Through 
this  they  entered  a  corridor,  and  then  a  room, 
which  he  began  to  examine  attentively.     The  light 


146  TARAS  BULBA 

which  sifted  through  a  crack  in  the  shutters  fell 
upon  some  objects, —  a  crimson  curtain,  a  gilded 
cornice,  a  painting  on  the  wall.  The  Tatar  mo- 
tioned to  Andrii  to  wait  here,  and  opened  the  door 
into  another  room,  from  which  gleamed  the  light 
of  a  fire.  Through  the  open  door  he  beheld, 
rapidly  flitting  past,  a  tall  female  figure,  with  a 
splendid  braid  of  hair  falling  over  her  uplifted 
arm.     The  Tatar  returned  and  bade  him  enter. 

He  was  never  able  to  remember  how  he  entered, 
and  how  the  door  was  shut  behind  him.  Two 
candles  burned  in  the  room,  and  a  shrine-lamp 
glowed  before  a  holy  picture:  beneath  it  stood  a 
small  but  lofty  table,  with  steps  to  kneel  upon  dur- 
ing prayer,  after  the  Roman  Catholic  fashion. 
He  turned  in  the  other  direction,  and  perceived  a 
woman,  who  seemed  to  have  congealed  and  turned 
to  stone  in  the  midst  of  some  rapid  movement. 
It  seemed  as  though  her  whole  form  had  been 
trying  to  spring  towards  him,  and  had  suddenly 
paused.  And,  amazed,  he  stood  in  like  manner 
before  her.  Not  thus  had  he  pictured  to  himself 
that  he  would  see  her:  this  was  not  the  person 
whom  he  had  formerly  known ;  nothing  about  her 
resembled  that  person:  but  she  was  twice  as  beau- 
tiful, twice  as  wonderful  now  as  she  had  formerly 
been.  Then  there  had  been  something  unfinished, 
incomplete  about  her :  now  it  was  a  production  to 


TARAS  BULBA  147 

which  the  artist  had  given  the  finishing  stroke  of 
his  brush.  That  other  one  had  been  a  charming, 
giddy  girl:  this  was  a  beauty,  a  woman  in  the  full 
development  of  her  charms.  Complete  feeling, 
not  scraps  and  hints  of  feeling,  but  all  feeling,  was 
expressed  in  her  eyes  as  she  raised  them.  The 
tears  were  not  yet  dry  in  them,  and  framed  them 
in  a  shining  dew,  which  pierced  the  very  soul. 
Her  bosom,  neck  and  arms  were  moulded  in  pro- 
portions which  indicated  fully  developed  loveli- 
ness. Her  hair  which,  in  former  days,  had  waved 
in  airy  ringlets  about  her  face,  had  become  a 
heavy,  luxuriant  mass,  part  of  which  was  fastened 
up,  while  part  in  long,  slender,  beautifully  curling 
locks  spread  over  her  breast.  It  seemed  as 
though  her  every  feature  were  changed.  In  vain 
did  he  seek  to  discover  in  them  a  single  one  of 
those  which  were  engraved  on  his  memory, — 
there  was  not  one.  Even  her  extreme  pallor  did 
not  lessen  her  wonderful  beauty :  on  the  contrary, 
it  seemed  to  impart  to  it  an  Irresistibly  conquering 
charm.  And  Andrii  felt  in  all  his  soul  a  reverent 
timidity,  and  stood  motionless  before  her.  She, 
too,  seemed  surprised  at  the  appearance  of  the 
kazak,  as  he  stood  before  her  in  all  his  beauty, 
and  the  might  of  his  young  manhood,  and  In  the 
very  immovability  of  his  limbs  personified  the  ut- 
most freedom  of  movement.     His  eyes  beamed 


148  TARAS  BU-LBA 

with  clear  decision;  his  velvet  brows  bent  in  a  bold 
arch;  his  sunburnt  cheeks  glowed  with  all  the 
ardour  of  virginal  fire;  and  his  youthful  black 
moustache  shone  like  silk. 

"  No,  I  have  no  power  to  thank  you,  magnani- 
mous knight,*'  she  said,  her  silvery  voice  all  in  a 
tremble.  "  God  alone  can  reward  you,  not  I,  a 
weak  woman.'*  She  dropped  her  eyes;  her  lids 
fell  over  them  in  beautiful,  snowy  crescents, 
guarded  by  lashes  long  as  arrows;  all  her  won- 
drous face  bowed  forward,  and  a  delicate  flush 
overspread  It  from  below.  Andril  knew  not  what 
reply  to  make  to  this;  he  wanted  to  express  every- 
thing; he  had  it  in  his  soul  to  express  it  with  all  the 
ardour  he  felt,  and  could  not.  He  felt  that  some- 
thing was  obstructing  his  mouth,  and  words  were 
deprived  of  sound;  he  felt  that  it  was  not  for  him, 
reared  in  the  seminary,  and  in  a  warlike,  nomadic 
life,  to  reply  fitly  to  such  language,  and  was  wroth 
at  his  kazak  nature. 

At  that  moment  the  Tatar  entered  the  room. 
She  had  cut  the  bread  which  the  knight  had 
brought  in  slices,  and  now  brought  it  on  a  golden 
plate,  and  placed  It  before  her  young  mistress. 
The  beauty  glanced  at  her,  at  the  bread,  at  her 
again,  then  turned  her  eyes  on  Andril;  and  there 
was  a  great  deal  In  those  eyes.  That  gentle 
glance,  expressive  of  her  weakness  and  her  in- 


TARAS  BULBA  149 

ability  to  give  utterance  to  the  feelings  which  over- 
powered her,  was  far  more  comprehensible  to 
Andrii  than  any  words.  His  soul  suddenly  grew 
light:  all  within  him  seemed  to  have  been  released. 
The  emotions  of  his  soul,  which,  up  to  that  mo- 
ment, some  one  seemed  to  have  been  restraining 
with  a  heavy  curb,  now  felt  themselves  set  free,  at 
liberty,  and  eager  to  pour  themselves  out  In  a  re- 
sistless torrent  of  words.  Suddenly  the  beauty 
turned  to  the  Tatar,  and  inquired  anxiously: 

"  But  my  mother?     You  took  her  some?  '' 

"  She  Is  asleep." 

"And  my  father?" 

"  I  carried  him  some,  also :  he  said  that  he  would 
come  and  thank  the  knight  In  person." 

She  took  the  bread,  and  raised  It  to  her  mouth. 
With  inexpressible  delight  Andril  watched  her 
break  It  with  her  shining  fingers ;  and,  all  at  once, 
he  recalled  the  man,  mad  with  hunger,  who  had  ex- 
pired before  his  very  eyes,  on  swallowing  a  morsel 
of  bread.  He  turned  pale  and,  seizing  her  hand, 
cried:  "Enough!  Eat  no  more!  you  have  not 
eaten  for  so  long  that  bread  will  be  poison  to  you 
now."  And  she  Immediately  dropped  her  hand; 
she  laid  the  bread  on  the  plate,  and  gazed  Into  his 
eyes  like  a  submissive  child.  And  If  any  words 
could  express  —  but  neither  chisel,  nor  brush,  nor 
all-powerful  speech  is  capable  of  expressing  what 


I50  TARAS  BULB  A 

Is  sometimes  to  be  seen  In  the  glances  of  maidens, 
nor  the  tender  feeling  which  takes  possession  of 
him  who  sees  such  maiden  glances. 

"  Tzarltza !  "  exclaimed  Andril,  filled,  heart 
and  soul,  with  emotion,  and  with  overflowing  feel- 
ings of  every  sort,  *'  what  do  you  need?  what  do 
you  wish?  Command  me!  Impose  on  me  the 
most  Impossible  task  In  all  the  world:  I 
will  fly  to  perform  It,  even  though  I  perish. 
I  will  perish,  I  will  I  And  I  swear  by  the  holy 
Cross,  that  death  for  your  sake  is  so  sweet  — 
but  no.  It  Is  Impossible  to  say  how  sweet  It  is! 
I  have  three  farms;  half  my  father's  drove  of 
horses  is  mine;  all  that  my  mother  brought 
my  father  in  dowry,  and  still  conceals  even 
from  him, —  all  this  Is  mine !  Not  one  of  the 
kazaks  now  possesses  such  weapons  as  I  do :  for 
the  hilt  of  my  sword  alone  they  would  give  their 
best  drove  of  horses  and  three  thousand  sheep. 
And  all  this  will  I  renounce,  discard,  throw  aside, 
—  I  will  burn  It,  drown  It  if  you  will  but  say  the 
word,  or  even  move  your  delicate  black  brows! 
But  I  know  that  I  am  probably  talking  wide  of 
the  mark;  that  all  this  Is  not  fitting  here;  that  it  Is 
not  for  me,  who  have  passed  my  life  In  the  sem- 
inary and  In  Zaporozhe,  to  speak  as  they  are  wont 
who  speak  among  Kings,  Princes  and  all  the  rest  of 
the  noble  knights.     I  perceive  that  you  are  a  dif- 


TARAS  BULB  A  151 

ferent  sort  of  God's  creature  from  the  rest  of  us, 
and  far  above  all  other  nobles'  wives  and  their 
maiden  daughters." 

With  glowing  amazement  did  the  maiden  listen, 
all  ear,  losing  no  single  word,  to  this  frank,  sin- 
cere language,  in  which,  as  in  a  mirror,  the  strong, 
young  spirit  was  reflected;  and  each  simple  word 
of  this  speech,  uttered  in  a  voice  which  winged  its 
way  straight  to  the  depths  of  the  heart,  was  clothed 
with  power.  And  she  bent  forward  her  beautiful 
face,  pushed  back  her  troublesome  hair,  opened 
her  mouth,  and  gazed  long,  with  parted  lips. 
Then  she  tried  to  say  something,  but  suddenly 
paused,  remembering  that  the  knight  came  in  a 
different  class,  that  his  father,  brethren,  country 
stood  behind  him  as  grim  avengers;  that  the 
Zaporozhtzl  who  were  besieging  the  city  were  ter- 
rible men,  and  a  cruel  death  awaited  all  who  were 
in  the  place.  .  .  .  And  her  eyes  suddenly  filled 
with  tears.  She  caught  up  a  handkerchief  em- 
broidered in  silks,  and  threw  It  over  her  face,  and 
In  a  moment  it  was  all  wet;  she  sat  long  with  her 
beautiful  head  thrown  back,  her  snowy  teeth  set 
on  her  lovely  under-lip,  as  though  she  had  suddenly 
felt  the  sting  of  a  poisonous  serpent,  and  without 
removing  the  handkerchief  from  her  face,  lest  he 
should  see  her  broken  with  grief. 

*'  Speak  one  word  to  me !  "  entreated  Andrii, 


152  TARAS  BULB  A 

taking  her  satin  hand.  A  sparkling  fire  coursed 
through  his  veins  at  the  touch,  and  he  pressed  the 
hand  which  lay  apathetically  in  his  own. 

But  she  maintained  silence,  never  taking  the 
kerchief  from  her  face,  and  remained  motionless. 

"  Why  are  you  so  sad?  Tell  me,  why  are  you 
so  sad?" 

She  cast  aside  the  handkerchief,  pushed  back  her 
long  hair  which  fell  over  her  eyes,  and  poured  out 
her  heart  in  mournful  speech,  in  a  quiet  voice  like 
the  breeze  which,  arising  on  a  beautiful  evening, 
suddenly  blows  through  a  dense  growth  of  reeds 
beside  the  stream;  they  rustle,  murmur,  and  sud- 
denly begin  to  emit  delicately-sad  sounds,  and  the 
wayfarer,  pausing,  in  inexplicable  melancholy, 
catches  them  and  heeds  neither  the  fading  light 
nor  the  gay  songs  of  the  people  which  float  past  as 
they  stray  homeward  from  their  labours  in 
meadow  and  stubble-field,  nor  the  distant  rumble 
of  a  passing  cart. 

"  Am  not  I  worthy  of  eternal  pity?  Is  not  the 
mother  who  brought  me  into  the  world  unhappy? 
Is  it  not  a  bitter  fate  which  has  fallen  to  my  share  ? 
Art  not  thou  a  cruel  executioner,  my  grim  Fate? 
Thou  hast  brought  all  to  my  feet, —  the  highest 
nobles  in  the  land,  the  wealthiest  gentlemen, 
Counts  and  foreign  Barons,  and  all  the  flower  of 
our  knighthood.     All  these  were  free  to  love  me. 


TARAS  BULBA  153 

and  any  one  of  them  would  have  accounted  my 
love  a  great  blessing.  I  had  but  to  wave  my  hand, 
and  the  best  of  them,  the  handsomest,  the  very  first 
in  beauty  and  birth,  would  have  become  my  hus- 
band. And  to  none  of  them  didst  thou  incline  my 
heart,  O  my  bitter  Fate !  thou  didst  turn  my  heart 
against  the  noblest  heroes  of  our  land,  and  towards 
a  stranger,  towards  our  enemy?  Why,  O  most 
holy  Mother  of  God  I  for  what  sins  dost  thou  so 
pitilessly,  so  mercilessly  persecute  me?  In  abund- 
ance and  superfluity  of  luxury  my  days  have  been 
passed;  the  richest  dishes,  the  sweetest  wines  have 
been  my  food.  And  to  what  end  was  it  all? 
What  was  it  all  for?  In  order  that  I  might,  at 
the  last,  die  a  cruel  death,  such  as  is  not  the  lot  of 
even  the  meanest  beggar  In  the  kingdom?  And 
was  It  not  enough  that  I  was  condemned  to  so 
horrible  a  fate;  not  enough  that,  before  my  own 
end  I  should  behold  my  father  and  mother  perish 
in  intolerable  torment,  when  I  would  willingly  have 
given  my  own  life  twenty  times  over  to  save  them? 
All  this  was  not  enough:  before  my  own  death  I 
must  see  and  hear  words  and  love  such  as  I  had 
never  known  before.  It  needs  must  be  that  he 
should  break  my  heart  in  pieces  with  his  utter- 
ances; that  my  bitter  lot  should  be  rendered  still 
more  bitter;  that  my  young  life  should  be  made  yet 
more  sad!  that  my  death  should  seem  even  more 


154  TARAS  BULBA 

terrible;  and  that,  dying,  I  should  reproach  thee 
still  more,  O  cruel  Fate !  and  thee  —  forgive  my 
sin  —  O  holy  Mother  of  God !  " 

And  when  she  ceased  in  despair,  a  feeling  of 
hopelessness  was  expressed  in  her  face;  every 
feature  spoke  of  gnawing  sorrow;  and  all,  from 
the  sadly  bowed  brow  and  downcast  eyes,  to  the 
tears  trickling  down  and  drying  on  her  softly- 
flushed  cheeks,  seemed  to  say :  "  There  is  no  hap- 
piness in  this  face." 

"  Such  a  thing  was  never  heard  of  since  the 
world  began.  It  cannot  be,  It  shall  not  be !  "  said 
Andrii,  "  that  the  best  and  most  beautiful  of 
women  should  suffer  so  bitter  a  fate,  when  she  was 
born  that  all  the  best  there  is  in  the  world  should 
bow  before  her  as  before  a  Saint.  No,  you  shall 
not  die  I  I  swear  it  by  my  birth,  and  by  all  I  hold 
dear  In  the  world,  you  shall  not  die.  But  If  it  must 
indeed  be  so;  If  nothing,  neither  strength,  nor 
prayer,  nor  heroism  will  avail  to  avert  that  cruel 
fate, —  then  we  will  die  together,  and  I  will  die 
first.  I  will  die  before  you,  at  your  beauteous 
knees,  and  even  in  death  they  shall  not  part  us." 

"  Deceive  not  yourself  and  me,  knight,"  she 
said,  gently  shaking  her  beautiful  head;  "  I  know, 
and  to  my  great  sorrow  I  know  only  too  well,  that 
it  is  impossible  for  you  to  love  me.  I  know  what 
your  duty  is,  and  what  your  Faith.     Your  father, 


TARAS  BULB  A  155 

your  comrades,  your  fatherland  call  you, —  and  we 
are  your  enemies." 

'*  And  what  are  my  father,  my  comrades,  my 
fatherland  to  me?  "  said  Andril,  shaking  his  head 
with  a  quick  movement,  and  straightening  up  his 
young  figure  like  a  poplar  beside  the  river.  "  Be 
that  as  it  may,  I  have  no  one,  no  one,  no  one !  " 
he  repeated  with  the  same  voice  and  movement 
of  the  hand  wherewith  the  buoyant,  irrepressible 
kazak  expresses  his  determination  to  do  some  un- 
heard-of deed,  impossible  to  any  other  man. 
''  Who  has  said  that  my  fatherland  is  the  Ukraina  ? 
Who  gave  it  to  me  for  my  country?  Our  father- 
land is  the  one  our  spirit  longs  for,  the  one  which 
is  dearest  of  all  to  it.  My  country  is  —  you! 
That  is  my  fatherland,  and  that  land  I  bear  in  my 
heart.  I  shall  bear  it  there  all  my  life  long,  and 
I  will  see  whether  any  of  the  kazaks  can  tear  it 
thence.  And  I  will  renounce  everything,  barter 
everything,  I  will  lose  myself  for  that  country  I  " 

Petrified  for  an  Instant,  she  gazed  into  his  eyes 
like  a  beautiful  statue,  and  suddenly  burst  out  sob- 
bing; and  with  that  wonderful  feminine  Impetuos- 
ity, of  which  only  grand-souled,  uncalculating 
women,  created  for  fine  Impulses  are  capable,  she 
threw  herself  upon  his  neck,  encircling  It  with  her 
wondrous,  snowy  arms,  and  fell  to  weeping.  At 
that  moment  Indistinct   shouts   rang  out  In  the 


156  TARAS  BULB  A 

streets,  accompanied  by  the  sound  of  trumpets  and 
kettle-drums;  but  he  heard  them  not.  He  was 
conscious  of  nothing  save  the  lovely  mouth  which 
was  bathing  him  in  its  warm,  sweet  breath,  of  the 
tears  streaming  down  his  face,  and  her  long  un- 
bound, perfumed  hair  which  veiled  him  completely 
In  its  dark,  shining  silk. 

At  that  moment  the  Tatar  ran  in  with  a  cry  of 
joy.  *'  Saved,  saved!  "  she  cried,  beside  herself. 
"  Our  troops  have  arrived  in  the  city.  They  have 
brought  corn,  millet,  flour  and  Zaporozhtzi  in 
chains."  But  neither  of  them  heard  that  our 
troops  had  arrived  in  the  city,  nor  what  they  had 
brought  with  them,  nor  how  they  had  bound  the 
Zaporozhtzi.  Filled  with  feehngs  untasted  else- 
where on  earth,  Andrii  kissed  the  sweet  mouth 
which  pressed  his  cheek,  and  the  sweet  mouth  did 
not  remain  unresponsive.  In  this  union  of  kisses 
they  experienced  that  which  it  is  given  to  a  man  to 
feel  but  once  in  his  lifetime. 

And  the  kazak  was  lost  I  He  was  lost  to 
Kazak  chivalry.  Never  again  will  he  behold 
Zaporozhe,  nor  his  father^s  house,  nor  the  church 
of  God.  The  Ukraina  will  never  more  behold 
the  bravest  of  her  sons,  who  have  undertaken  to 
defend  her.  Old  Taras  will  tear  a  grey  tuft 
from  his  scalp-lock,  and  curse  the  day  and  the  hour 
in  which  such  a  son  wa$  born  to  dishonour  him, 


CHAPTER  SEVEN 


VII 

NOISE  and  movement  were  rife  in  the 
camp  of  the  Zaporozhtzi.  At  first  no 
one  could  explain  the  true  reason  why 
the  army  had  managed  to  enter  the  city.  After- 
wards It  appeared  that  the  Pereyaslavsky  barrack, 
encamped  before  the  side  gate  of  the  city,  had  been 
dead  drunk;  so  it  was  no  wonder  that  half  of  the 
men  had  been  killed,  and  the  other  half  bound 
before  they  knew  what  it  was  all  about.  While 
the  neighbouring  kurens,  aroused  by  the  uproar, 
were  grasping  their  weapons,  the  army  had  already 
passed  through  the  gate,  and  the  rear  ranks  fired 
upon  the  sleepy  and  only  half-sober  Zaporozhtzi, 
who  were  pressing  in  disorder  upon  them. 

The  Koshevoi  ordered  all  to  be  assembled;  and 
when  all  were  standing  in  a  ring,  and  had  removed 
their  caps  and  become  quiet,  he  said:  "  Just  see, 
brother  nobles,  what  happened  last  night!  See 
what  drunkenness  has  led  to  I  See  what  an  Insult 
the  enemy  has  put  upon  us!  Evidently,  It  is  so 
arranged  with  us,  that  if  one  kindly  doubles  your 
allowance,  then  you  are  ready  to  get  drunk,  and  the 

159 


i6o  TARAS  BULBA 

enemies  of  Christ  can  not  only  take  your  very 
trousers  off  you,  but  can  even  sneeze  in  your  faces 
without  your  hearing  them  I  " 

The  kazaks  all  stood  with  drooping  heads, 
knowing  well  that  they  were  guilty:  only  one, 
Kukubenko,  the  ataman  of  the  Nezamalsky  kuren, 
answered  back.  "Stop,  father!"  said  he;  "al- 
though it's  not  lawful  to  make  such  a  retort  when 
the  Koshevol  speaks.  In  the  presence  of  the  whole 
army,  yet  It  Is  necessary  to  say  that  that  wasn't  the 
way  of  it.  You  have  not  been  quite  just  in  your 
reprimand.  The  kazaks  would  have  been  guilty 
and  deserving  of  death,  had  they  got  drunk  on  the 
march,  during  war,  or  heavy,  toilsome  labour; 
but  we  have  been  camped  down  here  unoccupied, 
loitering  In  vain  before  the  city.  It  was  not  a 
Fast,  or  any  other  time  of  Christian  abstinence: 
how  can  a  man  do  otherwise  than  get  drunk  in  idle- 
ness? There's  no  sin  in  that.  But  we'd  better 
show  them  what  it  is  to  attack  innocent  people. 
They  first  beat  us  well,  and  now  we'll  give  them 
such  a  beating  that  they  won't  carry  five  of  them 
home  again." 

The  speech  of  the  barrack  ataman  pleased  the 
kazaks.  They  raised  their  utterly  despondent 
heads  upright,  and  many  nodded  approvingly,  mut- 
tering: "Kukubenko  has  spoken  well!"  And 
Taras  Bulba,  who  stood  not  far  from  the  Koshe- 


I 


TARAS  BULBA  i6i 

vol,  said :  "  How  now,  Koshevoi  ?  Kukubenko 
has  spoken  truth.  iWhat  have  you  to  say  to 
that?" 

"  What  have  I  to  say?  'I  say,  Blessed  Be  the 
father  who  begat  such  a  son!  It  requires  not 
much  wisdom  to  utter  words  of  reproof;  but  much 
wisdom  is  needed  to  say  such  words  as,  without 
cursing  a  man's  misfortune,  encourage  him,  restore 
to  him  his  spirit,  put  spurs  to  the  horse  of  his 
soul,  refreshed  by  watering.  I  meant  myself  to 
speak  words  of  comfort  to  you,  but  Kukubenko 
has  forestalled  me." 

*'  The  Koshevoi  also  has  spoken  well !  "  rang 
through  the  ranks  of  the  Zaporozhtzi.  "  His 
words  are  good,"  repeated  others.  And  even  the 
grey-heads  who  stood  there  like  dark-blue  doves, 
nodded  their  heads,  and  twitching  their  grey 
moustaches,  said  softly:  "That  word  was  well 
spoken !  " 

"  Listen  now,  noble  sirs,"  continued  the  Koshe- 
voi. "  To  take  a  city,  scale  it,  undermine  it  as 
the  foreign  engineers  do.  Is  the  sort  of  shamming 
we'll  leave  to  the  enemy:  that's  not  proper  nor  an 
affair  for  a  kazak.  But,  judging  from  appear- 
ances, the  enemy  entered  the  city  without  many 
provisions;  they  hadn't  many  carts  with  them. 
The  people  in  the  city  are  hungry :  they  will  eat  up 
everything  In  a  trice;  and  the  horses  will  do  the 


i62  TARAS  BULBA 

same  with  the  hay.  ...  I  don't  know  whether 
one  of  their  Saints  will  toss  them  down  anything 
from  heaven  with  hay-forks:  God  alone  knows 
that:  but  their  Catholic  priests  are  clever  at 
empty  words.  By  one  means  or  another  they  will 
leave  the  city.  Divide  yourselves,  therefore,  Into 
three  forces,  and  take  up  your  posts  before  the 
three  gates;  five  kurens  before  the  principal  gate, 
and  three  kurens  before  each  of  the  others.  Let 
the  Dyadnlvsky  and  Korsunsky  barracks  go  into 
ambush!  Colonel  Taras  and  his  regiment,  into 
ambush!  the  Tytarevsky  and  the  Tunnoshevsky 
kurens,  as  reserves  on  the  right  side  of  the  trans- 
ports, the  Shcherbenovsky  and  the  upper  Stebllklv- 
sky  on  the  left!  And  select  from  the  ranks  the 
young  men  of  most  quarrelsome  tongue  to  gall  the 
foe !  All  Lyakhs  are  an  empty-headed  lot,  and 
can't  endure  abuse,  and  perhaps  this  very  day  they 
will  Issue  forth  from  the  gates.  Let  each  ataman 
inspect  his  kuren:  if  any  are  not  of  full  strength, 
recruit  them  from  the  remnants  of  the  Peryaslav- 
sky  kuren.  Inspect  them  all  afresh !  Give  a  loaf 
and  a  beaker  to  each  kazak,  to  sober  him.  But, 
surely,  every  one  must  be  satiated  after  last  night; 
for  all  stuffed  themselves  so  that,  truth  to  tell,  I'm 
only  surprised  that  no  one  burst  during  the  night. 
And  here  is  one  further  command:  If  any  Jew 
rum-seller  sells  a  kazak  so  much  as  a  single  jug  of 


TARAS  BULBA  163 

his  vile  brandy,  I'll  nail  a  plg^s  ear  to  his  very  fore- 
head, the  dog,  and  I'll  hang  him  up  by  the  feet  I 
To  work,  my  men,  to  work!  " 

Thus  did  the  Koshevoi  issue  his  orders;  and  all 
did  him  reverence,  bowing  low,  even  to  his  girdle, 
and  without  putting  on  their  caps,  they  set  out  for 
their  transports  and  camps;  and  only  after  they 
had  gone  a  considerable  distance  did  they  don 
their  caps.  All  began  to  equip  themselves;  they 
tested  their  swords  and  cutlasses,  poured  powder 
from  the  sacks  into  their  powder-flasks,  rolled  out 
and  arranged  the  wagons,  and  picked  out  their 
horses. 

On  his  way  to  his  regiment  Taras  wondered, 
and  could  not  explain  to  himself,  what  had  become 
of  Andrii;  had  he  been  captured  and  bound  while 
asleep,  with  the  others?  But  no,  Andrii  was  not 
the  man  to  go  alive  into  captivity.  And  he  was 
not  to  be  seen  among  the  slaughtered  kazaks. 
Taras  pondered  deeply,  and  went  past  his  regiment 
without  being  aware  that  some  one  had  long  been 
calling  him  by  name. 

"  Who  wants  me?  "  he  said,  coming  to  himself 
at  last.     Before  him  stood  the  Jew  Yankel. 

*'  Sir  Colonel,  Sir  Colonel!  "  said  the  Jew  in  a 
hurried,  broken  voice,  as  though  desirous  of  re- 
vealing something  not  utterly  useless.  "  I've  been 
in  the  city,  Sir  Colonel!  " 


i64  TARAS  BULBA 

Taras  looked  at  the  Jew,  and  wondered  how  he 
had  already  succeeded  In  entering  the  city. — 
"  What  enemy  took  you  there?  " 

"  I'll  tell  you  at  once,"  said  Yankel.  "  As  soon 
as  I  heard  the  uproar  at  daybreak,  and  the  kazaks 
began  to  fire,  I  seized  my  kaftan,  and  without  stop- 
ping to  put  it  on,  ran  at  the  top  of  my  speed, 
thrusting  my  arms  In  on  the  way,  because  I  wanted 
to  know,  as  soon  as  possible,  the  cause  of  the  noise, 
and  why  the  kazaks  were  firing  at  dawn.  I  took 
and  ran  to  the  very  gate  of  the  city,  at  the  moment 
when  the  last  of  the  troops  were  passing  through. 
I  look  —  and  at  the  head  of  the  file  Is  Cornet 
Galyandovlch.  He  is  a  man  well  known  to  me: 
he  has  owed  me  a  hundred  ducats  for  more  than 
two  years  past.  I  ran  after  him,  as  though  to 
claim  the  debt  of  him,  and  so  entered  the  city  with 
them.'' 

"  So  you  entered  the  city,  and  wanted  him  to 
settle  the  debt  I  "  said  Taras ;  "  and  he  didn't  order 
you  to  be  hung  on  the  spot,  like  a  dog?  " 

*'  God  is  my  witness  that  he  did  want  to  hang 
me,"  replied  the  Jew:  "his  servants  had  already 
seized  me,  and  thrown  a  rope  about  my  neck.  But 
I  besought  the  nobleman,  and  said  that  I  would 
wait  for  my  money  as  long  as  he  liked,  and  prom- 
ised to  send  him  more  if  only  he  would  help  me  to 
collect  my  debts  from  the  other  knights ;  for  I  will 


TARAS  BULBA  165 

tell  your  nobility,  that  the  Cornet  has  not  a  ducat 
in  his  pocket,  although  he  has  farms  and  proper- 
ties and  four  castles,  and  steppe-land  that  extends 
clear  to  Shklov;  but  he  has  not  a  groschen,  any 
more  than  a  kazak.  And  now,  if  the  Breslau 
Jews  had  not  fitted  him  out,  he  wouldn't  have  been 
able  to  go  to  the  war.  That  was  the  reason  he 
didn't  go  to  the  Diet." 

"What  did  you  do  in  the  city?  Did  you  see 
any  of  our  people?  " 

"Certainly,  many  of  our  people  are  there: 
Itzok,  Rakhum,  Samuel,  Khaivalkh,  Yevrei  the 
revenue-farmer  .  .  ." 

"  May  they  perish,  the  dogs  I  "  shouted  the  en- 
raged Taras.  "  Why  do  you  name  over  your 
Jew  tribe  to  me?  I'm  asking  you  about  our 
Zaporozhtzi." 

"I  saw  none  of  our  Zaporozhtzi:  I  saw  only 
Pan  1  Andrii." 

"  You  saw  Andrii  I  "  shouted  Bulba.  "  What's 
he  doing  there?  Where  did  you  see  him?  In  a 
dungeon?  in  a  pit?  dishonoured?  bound?  " 

"  Who  would  dare  to  bind  Pan  Andrii?  Now 
he's  so  grand  a  knight,  by  God  ...  I  hardly 
recognised  him.  Gold  on  his  shoulder-straps, 
gold  on  his  belt,  gold  everywhere,  always  gold: 

'^Pan  is  the  Polish  word  used  when  speaking  of  men  of 
gentle  or  noble  birth,    I.  F.  H, 


i66  TARAS  BULBA 

as  when  the  sun  shines  In  spring,  and  every  bird 
begins  to  chirp,  and  sing  In  the  orchards,  so  Is  he 
shining  all  over  with  gold.  And  his  horse,  which 
the  Voevod  himself  gave  him,  Is  the  very 
best:  the  horse  alone  Is  worth  two  hundred 
ducats." 

Bulba  was  petrified.  *'  Why  has  he  put  on 
strange  garments?  " 

"  He  has  put  them  on  because  they  are  finer. 
And  he  rides  about,  and  the  others  ride  about,  and 
he  teaches  them,  and  they  teach  him;  like  the  very 
richest  sort  of  a  Polish  panj' 

"  Who  has  forced  him  to  this?  " 

**  I  shouldn't  say  that  he  had  been  forced. 
Doesn't  the  noble  lord  know  that  he  went  over  to 
them  of  his  own  free  will?  " 

"Who  went  over?" 

"  Why,  Pan  Andril." 

"Went  where?" 

"Went  over  to  their  side:  he's  entirely  theirs, 
now." 

"  You  He,  you  hog's  ear!  " 

"  How  is  It  possible  that  I  should  He?  Am  I  a 
fool  that  I  should  lie?  Would  I  He  at  the  risk  of 
my  head  ?  Don't  I  know  that  Jews  are  hung  like 
dogs  If  they  He  to  noble  lords?  " 

"  Then  this  means  that,  in  your  opinion,  he  has 
betrayed  his  fatherland  and  his  Faith?  " 


TARAS  BULB  A  167 

"  I  don't  say  that  he  has  betrayed  anything:  I 
merely  said  that  he  had  gone  over  to  them." 

''  You  He,  you  devil  of  a  Jew !  Such  a  deed  was 
never  known  in  a  Christian  land.  You're  getting 
things  mixed  up,  you  dog!  " 

"  May  grass  grow  upon  the  threshold  of  my 
house  if  I  am  mixing  things !  May  every  one  spit 
upon  the  grave  of  my  father,  my  mother,  my 
father's  father-in-law,  and  my  mother's  father,  if 
I  am  mixing  things!  If  the  noble  lord  wishes,  I 
can  even  tell  him  why  he  went  over  to  them." 

"Why?" 

**  The  Voevod  has  a  beautiful  daughter.  Holy 
God !  what  a  beauty  I  "  Here  the  Jew  tried  his 
best  to  depict  beauty  in  his  own  person,  throwing 
out  his  hands,  screwing  up  his  eyes,  and  twisting 
his  mouth  to  one  side,  as  though  testing  something 
by  tasting  it. 

"Well,  what  of  that?" 

"  He  did  it,  went  over  to  them,  for  her  sake. 
When  a  man's  in  love,  then  he's  just  like  a  boot- 
sole,  which,  if  you  soak  it,  you  can  bend  in  any 
direction,  and  it  will  yield." 

Bulba  pondered  deeply.  He  remembered  that 
the  power  of  weak  woman  is  great  —  that  she  had 
ruined  many  a  strong  man,  that  this  was  the  weak 
point  in  Andrii's  nature  —  and  he  stood  long  in 
one  place,  as  though  rooted  to  the  spot. 


i68  TARAS  BULBA 

**  Listen,  noble  lord,  and  I  will  tell  the  noble  lord 
all,"  said  the  Jew.  "  As  soon  as  I  heard  the  up- 
roar, and  saw  them  going  through  the  city  gate, 
I  caught  up  a  string  of  pearls,  in  case  of  any 
emergency.  For  there  are  beauties  and  noble- 
women there ;  ^  and  if  there  are  beauties  and  noble- 
women,' I  said  to  myself,  *  they  will  buy  pearls, 
even  if  they  have  nothing  to  eat.'  And,  as  soon 
as  ever  the  Cornet's  servants  set  me  at  liberty,  I 
hastened  to  the  Voevod's  palace  to  sell  my  pearls. 
I  asked  all  manner  of  questions  of  the  Tatar  serv- 
ing-woman: the  wedding  is  to  take  place  as  soon 
as  they  have  driven  off  the  Zaporozhtzl.  Pan 
Andril  has  promised  to  drive  off  the  Zaporozhtzl." 

"  And  you  didn't  slay  him  on  the  spot,  you 
devil's  brat?  "  shouted  Bulba. 

"  Why  should  I  kill  him  ?  He  went  over  of  his 
own  free  will.  What's  his  crime?  He  liked  it 
better  there,  so  he  went  there." 

*'  And  you  saw  him  face  to  face?  " 

*'  Face  to  face,  as  God  is  my  witness!  Such  a 
magnificent  warrior!  more  splendid  than  all  the 
rest.  God  grant  him  health,  he  knew  me  at  once; 
and  when  I  approached  him  he  said  immedi- 
ately .  .  ." 

*^  What  did  he  say?" 

"  He  said  —  First  he  beckoned  me  with  his 
finger,  and  then  he  said,  *  Yankel ! '     and  I,  '  Pan 


TARAS  BULBA  169 

Andrii  I  *  said  I.  '  Yankel,  tell  my  father,  tell  my 
brother,  tell  all  the  kazaks,  all  the  Zaporozhtzl, 
everybody,  that  my  father  Is  no  longer  my  father, 
nor  my  brother  my  brother,  nor  my  comrades  my 
comrades;  and  that  I  mean  to  fight  them  all, 
all!''* 

"You  lie,  you  devil  of  a  Judas!"  shouted 
Taras,  beside  himself  with  rage.  "  You  lie,  dog! 
I'll  kill  you,  Satan!  Get  away  from  here !  if  not, 
death  awaits  you !  "  So  saying,  Taras  unsheathed 
his  sword. 

The  frightened  Jew  set  off  instantly,  at  the  full 
speed  of  his  shrunken  legs.  He  ran  for  a  long 
time  without  looking  back,  through  the  Kazak 
camp,  and  then  far  out  on  the  deserted  plain,  al- 
though Taras  did  not  pursue  him  at  all,  reasoning 
that  it  was  foolish  to  vent  his  rage  on  the  first  per- 
son who  came  to  hand.  Then  he  recollected  that 
he  had  seen  Andrii  on  the  night  before,  traversing 
the  camp  with  some  woman ;  and  he  bowed  his  grey 
head.  And  still  he  would  not  believe  that  so  dis- 
graceful a  thing  could  have  happened,  and  that  his 
own  son  had  sold  his  Faith  and  his  soul. 

Finally,  he  led  his  regiment  into  ambush,  and 
hid  himself,  with  it  behind  a  forest  —  the  only  one 
which  had  not  been  burned  by  the  kazaks.  But 
the  Zaporozhtzi,  foot  and  horse,  set  out  for  the 
three  gates  by  three  different  roads;  one  after 


I70  TARAS  BULBA 

another  the  kurens  turned  out:  the  Umansky, 
Popovichevsky,  Konevsky,  Steblikovsky,  Nezamai- 
kovsky,  Gurgaziy,  Tytarevsky,  Tymoshevsky. 
The  Perevaslavsky  alone  was  wanting.  Its 
kazaks  had  smoked  and  drunk  it  to  its  fate.  One 
awoke  to  find  himself  bound  in  the  enemy's  hands; 
another  never  woke  at  all,  but  went  in  his  slumber 
into  the  damp  earth;  and  the  Ataman  Khlib,  him- 
self, minus  his  trousers  and  outward  adornments, 
found  himself  in  the  camp  of  the  Lyakhs. 

The  uproar  among  the  kazaks  was  heard  in  the 
city.  Every  one  hastened  to  the  ramparts,  and  a 
lively  spectacle  was  presented  to  the  kazaks. 
Polish  warriors,  each  handsomer  than  the  other, 
stood  on  the  wall.  Their  bronze  helmets  shone 
like  the  sun,  and  were  adorned  with  feathers  white 
as  swans.  Others  wore  light  caps,  pink  or  blue, 
with  crowns  which  drooped  over  one  ear;  kaftans 
with  the  sleeves  thrown  back,  either  embroidered 
with  gold  or  simply  garnished  with  cords.  Their 
swords  and  guns  were  richly  chased,  and  the  noble 
lords  had  paid  huge  prices  for  them;  they  had, 
also,  many  equipments  of  every  sort.  In  front 
stood  the  heavy  Budzhakovsky  Colonel,  haughtily, 
in  his  red  cap  ornamented  with  gold.  The 
Colonel  was  taller  and  stouter  than  all  the  rest,  and 
his  rich  and  voluminous  kaftan  was  a  tight  fit. 
On  the  other  hand,  almost  by  the  side  of  the  gate, 


TARAS  BULBA  171' 

stood  another  Colonel,  a  small,  drled-up  man ;  but 
his  little,  piercing  eyes  gleamed  sharply  from  under 
his  thick  and  shaggily  overgrown  brows,  and  he 
turned  quickly  on  all  sides,  gesticulating  energeti- 
cally with  his  thin,  withered  hand,  and  distributing 
his  commands.  It  was  evident  that,  in  spite  of 
his  tiny  body,  he  understood  the  art  of  war 
thoroughly.  Not  far  from  him  stood  a  very  tall 
Cornet,  with  thick  moustaches,  and  he  did  not  seem 
to  lack  colour  in  his  face:  the  noble  lord  was  fond 
of  strong  mead  and  hearty  revelry.  And  behind 
these  were  visible  many  noblemen  of  all  degrees, 
who  had  equipped  themselves,  some  with  their 
own  ducats,  some  at  the  expense  of  the  royal  treas- 
ury, some  with  money  from  the  Jews,  by  pawning 
everything  they  had  in  their  ancestral  castles. 
Many,  also,  were  the  senatorial  parasites,  whom 
the  Senators  took  with  them  to  dinners,  to  make  a 
fine  show,  and  who  stole  silver  cups  from  the  table 
and  the  sideboard,  and,  after  the  day's  show  was 
over,  mounted  some  gentleman's  coach-box  and 
drove  his  horses.  There  were  many  of  all  sorts 
there.  In  some  cases  they  had  not  enough  money 
to  pay  for  a  drink,  yet  they  were  all  fitted  out  for 
war. 

The  kazak  ranks  stood  quietly  in  front  of  the 
walls.  There  was  no  gold  about  any  of  them, 
except  here  and  there,  perhaps,  a  glint  of  it  on  the 


172  TARAS  BULBA 

hilt  of  a  sword  or  the  mount  of  a  gun.  The 
kazaks  were  not  addicted  to  decking  themselves 
out  gaily  for  battle :  their  chain-armour  and  their 
doublets  were  plain,  and  their  black,  red-crowned 
caps  glowed  darkly  afar. 

Two  kazaks  rode  out  from  the  ranks  of  the 
Zaporozhtzl.  One  was  quite  young,  the  other 
was  older;  both  were  fierce  In  words,  and  not  bad 
specimens  of  kazaks  In  action  —  Okhrim  Nash, 
and  Myklta  Golokopytenko.  Behind  them  rode 
Demid  Popovlch,  a  stalwart  kazak,  who  had  been 
hanging  about  the  Syech  for  a  long  time,  who  had 
been  present  at  the  siege  of  Adrlanople,  and  under- 
gone a  great  deal  In  the  course  of  his  existence. 
He  had  been  burned  In  the  conflagration,  and  had 
run  away  to  the  Syech,  with  tarred  and  blackened 
head  and  singed  moustaches.  But  Popovlch  had 
become  stout,  had  grown  long  locks  of  hair  behind 
his  ears,  had  raised  moustaches  black  as  pitch,  and 
was  a  gallant  fellow  when  it  came  to  biting 
speeches,  was  Popovlch. 

"  Aha,  red  kaftans  on  all  the  army  — •  but  what 
rd  like  to  know  Is,  whether  the  strength  of  the 
troops  matches  them ! '' 

"  I'll  give  it  to  you  I  '*  shouted  the  fat  Colonel 
from  above.  **  Fll  bind  you  all  I  Surrender  your 
guns  and  horses,  slaves!     Have  you  seen  how  I 


TARAS  BULBA  173 

bound  your  men?  —  Bring  out  the  Zaporozhtzi  on 
the  ramparts  for  them  to  see ! '' 

And  the  Zaporozhtzi  were  led  out,  pinioned  with 
ropes. 

At  their  head  stood  the  ataman  of  the  barrack, 
KhHb,  without  his  trousers  and  outward  adorn- 
ments, exactly  as  they  had  captured  him  in  his 
drunken  sleep.  And  the  ataman  bowed  his  head 
earthward  In  shame  before  the  kazaks,  at  his 
nakedness,  and  at  having  been  taken  prisoner  like 
a  dog  while  asleep.  His  powerful  head  had 
turned  grey  over  night. 

*'  Grieve  not,  Khlib !  we'll  rescue  you  1  "  shouted 
the  kazaks  from  below. 

**  Grieve  not,  dear  friend !  '*  shouted  Ataman 
Borodaty.  "  It's  not  your  fault  that  they  caught 
you  naked:  that's  a  misfortune  which  may  happen 
to  any  man.  But  It's  a  disgrace  to  them  that  they 
have  exposed  you  to  dishonour,  and  not  covered 
your  nakedness  decently." 

"  You  seem  to  be  a  brave  army  when  you  catch 
people  asleep,"  remarked  Golokopytenko,  glanc- 
ing at  the  ramparts. 

"  Walt,  we'll  clip  your  top-knots  for  you !  " 

"  I'd  like  to  see  them  clip  our  scalp-locks  I  " 
said  Popovich,  prancing  about  before  them  on  his 
horse;  then,  glancing  at  his  comrades,  he  said: 


174  TARAS  BULB  A 

"Well,  perhaps  the  Lyakhs  speak  the  truth:  if 
that  fat-bellied  fellow  yonder  leads  them,  they'll 
all  find  a  good  shelter  behind  him." 

"  Why  do  you  think  they'll  find  a  good 
shelter?"  asked  the  kazaks,  aware  that  Popovich 
was  preparing  to  launch  some  cutting  remark. 

"  Because  the  whole  army  can  hide  behind  him; 
and  two  devils  couldn't  help  you  to  reach  anybody 
with  your  spear  from  behind  that  belly  of  his !  " 

All  the  kazaks  burst  out  laughing,  and  many  of 
them  shook  their  heads,  saying:  "What  a  fel- 
low that  Popovich  Is,  If  any  one  wants  to  turn  a 
phrase !  —  Only,  now  " —  But  the  Kazaks  did  not 
explain  what  they  meant  by  that  now. 

"  Fall  back,  fall  back  quickly  from  the  wall !  " 
shouted  the  Koshevoi;  for  It  appeared  that  the 
Lyakhs  could  not  endure  these  biting  words,  and 
the  Colonel  waved  his  hand. 

The  kazaks  had  barely  retreated  from  the  wall 
when  grape-shot  rained  down. 

On  the  ramparts  all  was  excitement,  and  the 
grey-haired  Voevod  himself  made  his  appearance 
on  horseback.  The  gates  swung  open,  and  the 
army  sallied  forth.  In  front  came  the  mounted 
hussars.  Behind  them,  the  men  In  armour,  then 
all  those  with  brazen  helmets;  after  them  rode 
singly  the  highest  nobility,  each  man  dressed  as 
pleased  him  best.     The  haughty  nobles  would  not 


TARAS  BULBA  175 

mingle  with  the  others  In  the  ranks,  and  those  who 
had  no  commands  rode  alone  with  their  retinues. 
After  these  came  more  companies,  and  after  these 
still,  emerged  the  Cornet,  then  more  files  of  men, 
and  then  the  fat  Colonel;  and  quite  in  the  rear  of 
the  whole  army  came,  last  of  all,  the  little  Colonel. 
"  Stop  them !  Keep  them  from  drawing  up,  from 
forming  in  line !  "  shouted  the  Koshevoi :  *'  Let 
all  the  kurens  attack  them  at  once !  Abandon  the 
other  gates !  Tytarevsky  kuren,  fall  on  one  flank  I 
Dyadkovsky  kuren,  fall  on  the  other!  Attack 
them  in  the  rear,  Kukubenko  and  Palivoda! 
Stop  them,  stop  them !  Separate  them !  "  And  the 
kazaks  attacked  on  all  sides,  killing  the  Lyakhs, 
throwing  them  Into  confusion,  and  being  thrown 
into  confusion  themselves.  They  did  not  even 
give  them  time  to  fire :  It  came  to  swords  and 
spears  at  once.  All  merged  together  In  a  heap, 
and  each  man  had  an  opportunity  to  distinguish 
himself. 

Demid  Popovlch  ran  three  common  soldiers 
through,  and  knocked  two  of  the  highest  nobles 
from  their  horses,  saying:  ''Here  are  good 
horses!  I  have  long  wanted  to  get  hold  of  just 
such  horses !  "  And  he  drove  the  horses  far 
afield,  shouting  to  the  kazaks  who  were  standing 
about  to  catch  them.  Then  he  flung  himself  again 
into  the  mass,  fell  again  upon  the  fallen  nobles^ 


176  TARAS  BULBA 

killed  one,  and  flung  his  lasso  round  the  neck  of  the 
other,  tied  him  to  his  saddle,  and  dragged  him  all 
over  the  plain,  after  having  taken  from  him  his 
sword  with  a  rich  hilt,  and  removed  from  his  girdle 
a  whole  coin-bag  of  ducats. 

Kobita,  a  good  kazak,  and  still  very  young,  en- 
gaged one  of  the  bravest  men  in  the  Polish  army 
in  single  combat,  and  they  fought  long  together. 
They  had  come  to  fisticuffs,  and  the  kazak  had 
nearly  conquered  his  foe,  and,  throwing  him  down, 
stabbed  him  in  the  breast  with  his  sharp  Turkish 
knife.  But  he  did  not  guard  himself  properly: 
at  that  moment  a  hot  bullet  struck  him  on  the 
temple.  The  man  who  struck  him  down  was  the 
most  distinguished  of  the  nobles,  the  handsomest 
knight  of  an  ancient  and  princely  race.  Like  a 
stately  column  he  bestrode  his  light  bay  steed. 
And  many  deeds  of  daring  did  this  boyar  perform : 
he  clove  two  kazaks  in  twain;  Feodor  Korzh,  the 
brave  kazak,  he  overthrew  together  with  his  horse; 
then  he  shot  the  horse  and  picked  the  kazak  off 
the  animal  with  his  spear;  many  heads  and  hands 
did  he  hew  off;  and  he  slew  kazak  Kobita,  sending 
a  bullet  through  his  temple. 

"  There's  the  man  I'd  like  to  measure  forces 
with  I  "  shouted  Kukubenko,  the  ataman  of  the 
Nezamaikovsky  kuren.  Spurring  on  his  horse,  he 
flew  straight  at  his  back,  and  shouted  loudly,  so 


TARAS  BULBA  I177 

that  all  who  stood  near  shuddered  at  that  un- 
earthly yell.  The  Lyakh  tried  to  turn  his  horse 
quickly,  and  face  him,  but  the  horse  did  not  obey: 
frightened  by  the  terrible  cry,  it  sprang  aside,  and 
the  Lyakh  received  Kukubenko's  fire.  The  hot 
ball  struck  him  in  the  shoulder-blade,  and  he  rolled 
from  his  horse. 

But  even  then  the  Lyakh  did  not  surrender:  he 
still  strove  to  deal  his  enemy  a  blow,  but  his  hand 
grew  weak  and  fell  with  his  sword.  Then  Kuku- 
benko,  taking  his  heavy  sword  in  both  hands,  thrust 
it  into  his  mouth,  already  grown  pallid.  The 
sword,  breaking  out  two  teeth,  cut  the  tongue  in 
twain,  pierced  the  windpipe,  and  penetrated  deep 
into  the  ground;  and  so  he  pinned  him  there  for- 
ever to  the  damp  earth.  His  noble  blood,  scarlet 
as  viburnum  berries  beside  the  river,  welled  up  in 
a  fountain,  and  stained  his  yellow,  gold-embroid- 
ered kaftan.  But  Kukubenko  had  already  left 
him,  and  was  forcing  his  way,  with  his  Nezamal- 
kovsky  kuren,  towards  another  group. 

"  Eh,  he  didn't  appropriate  those  splendid  ac- 
coutrements I "  said  Borodaty,  ataman  of  the 
Umansky  kuren,  leaving  his  men  and  going  to  the 
place  where  lay  the  nobleman  slain  by  Kukubenko. 
"  Fve  killed  seven  nobles  with  my  own  hand,  but 
such  accoutrements  I  have  never  beheld  on  any 
one."     And,  tempted  by  greed,  Borodaty  bent 


178  TARAS  BULBA 

down  to  remove  the  rich  armour,  and  forthwith 
pulled  out  the  knight's  Turkish  knife,  set  with 
precious  stones,  loosed  from  his  belt  the  purse  of 
ducats,  and  from  his  breast  a  wallet  with  fine  linen, 
silver  and  a  maiden's  curl,  carefully  cherished  as  a 
souvenir.  But  Borodaty  did  not  hear  the  red- 
nosed  Cornet  rushing  upon  him  from  the  rear;  he 
had  already  once  hurled  him  from  the  saddle,  and 
bestowed  on  him  a  fine  gash  by  way  of  remem- 
brance. He  flourished  his  arm  with  all  his  might, 
and  brought  his  sword  down  on  the  bended  neck. 
Greed  led  to  no  good:  the  strong  head  rolled  off, 
and  the  body  fell  headless,  sprinkling  the  earth  far 
and  wide.  The  grim  kazak  soul  soared  heaven- 
ward, grimacing,  indignant,  amazed  at  having  so 
suddenly  quitted  so  stalwart  a  body.  Before  the 
Cornet  managed  to  seize  the  ataman's  head  by  its 
scalp-lock  and  fasten  It  to  his  saddle,  a  savage 
avenger  arrived. 

As  a  vulture  hovering  In  the  sky,  beating  great 
circles  with  its  mighty  wings,  suddenly  remains 
poised  in  air,  in  one  spot,  and  thence  darts  down 
like  an  arrow  upon  the  shrieking  cock  quail  beside 
the  road;  just  so  did  Taras's  son  Ostap  fly  sud- 
denly upon  the  kazak,  and  fling  a  rope  about  his 
neck  with  one  cast.  The  Cornet's  red  face  grew  a 
still  deeper  crimson  when  the  cruel  noose  pressed 
his  throat,  and  he  tried  to  seize  his  pistol;  but  his 


TARAS  BULBA  179 

convulsively  contracted  hand  could  not  direct  the 
shot,  and  the  bullet  flew  wild  across  the  plain. 
Ostap  immediately  unfastened  a  silken  cord  which 
the  Cornet  carried  at  his  saddle-bow  to  bind  prison- 
ers, and  with  his  own  cord  bound  him  hand  and 
foot,  attached  the  cord  to  his  saddle,  and  dragged 
him  across  the  plain,  calling  all  the  kazaks  of  the 
Umansky  kuren  to  come  and  render  the  last  honour 
to  their  ataman. 

When  the  Umantzy  heard  that  the  ataman  of 
their  kuren,  Borodaty,  was  no  longer  among  the 
living,  they  deserted  the  field  of  battle,  and  rushed 
to  recover  his  body;  and  they  consulted  Immedi- 
ately as  to  whom  they  should  elect  to  be  their 
leader.  At  last  they  said :  *'  But  why  discuss  the 
matter?  It  is  impossible  to  appoint  a  better 
leader  than  Bulbars  Ostap :  he's  younger  than  any 
of  us,  it's  true;  but  his  judgment  is  that  of  an  old 
man." 

Ostap,  doffing  his  cap,  thanked  all  his  kazaks 
for  the  honour,  and  did  not  decline,  either  on  the 
score  of  his  youth,  or  of  his  youthful  judgment, 
knowing  well  that  wartime  Is  not  a  fitting  season 
to  waste  oneself  on  such  things;  but  he  instantly 
led  them  straight  at  the  throng  and  proceeded  to 
show  them  all  that  not  In  vain  had  they  elected  him 
ataman.  The  Lyakhs  realised  that  the  engagement 
was  growing  too  hot  for  them,  and  retreated  across 


i8o  TARAS  BULBA 

the  plain,  with  the  intention  of  re-forming  at  its 
other  extremity.  But  the  little  Colonel  signalled 
to  four  fresh  companies  close  to  the  gate,  and  they 
rained  down  grape-shot  on  the  kazak  throng;  but 
very  few  men  were  hit:  their  shot  took  effect  on 
the  kazak  oxen,  who  were  gazing  wildly  at  the 
battle.  The  frightened  oxen  bellowed,  turned  on 
the  camps,  smashed  the  wagons,  and  trampled 
many  persons  under  foot.  But  Taras,  emerging 
from  ambush  at  the  moment,  with  his  troops, 
rushed  forward  with  a  yell  to  Intercept  them.  He 
headed  off  the  entire  infuriated  herd  which, 
startled  by  his  yell,  swooped  down  upon  the  Po- 
lish regiments,  overthrew  the  cavalry,  and  crushed 
and  dispersed  them  all. 

"  O,  thank  you,  oxen !  "  cried  the  Zaporozhtzi : 
"  you  served  us  on  the  march,  and  now  you  have 
served  us  In  war."  And  they  attacked  the  foe 
with  renewed  vigour.  They  slew  many  of  the 
enemy.  Many  distinguished  themselves, —  Mete- 
litza,  Shilo,  both  of  the  Pisarenkos,  Vovtuzenko, 
and  not  a  few  others.  The  Lyakhs  perceived  that 
matters  were  going  ill,  flung  away  their  banners, 
and  shouted  for  the  city  gates  to  be  opened. 
Creaking,  the  Iron-bound  gates  opened  and  re- 
ceived the  weary  and  dust-covered  riders,  flocking 
In  like  sheep  Into  the  fold.  Many  of  the  Zapo- 
rozhtzi started  to  pursue  them ;  but  Ostap  stopped 


TARAS  BULBA  i8i 

his  Umantzl,  saying,  "  Keep  off !  keep  further 
away  from  the  wall,  brother  nobles  I  'Tis  not  well 
to  approach  them  too  closely."  And  he  spoke 
truly;  for  from  the  ramparts  there  began  to  rain 
and  pour  down  everything  which  came  to  hand, 
and  a  great  many  were  struck.  At  that  moment, 
the  Koshevoi  rode  up,  and  praised  Ostap,  saying, 
"  He's  a  new  ataman,  but  he's  leading  the  army 
like  an  old  one."  Old  Bulba  glanced  round  to 
see  who  the  new  ataman  might  be,  and  beheld 
Ostap  sitting  on  his  horse  at  the  head  of  the 
Umantzl,  his  cap  cocked  on  one  ear,  and  the  ata- 
man's staff  in  his  hand. 

"  Who  ever  saw  the  like !  "  he  exclaimed,  as  he 
gazed  at  him;  and  the  old  man  rejoiced,  and  began 
to  thank  all  the  Umantzl  for  the  honour  they  had 
conferred  on  his  son. 

The  kazaks  retired  again,  and  were  preparing 
to  go  into  camp;  but  the  Lyakhs  showed  them- 
selves again  on  the  city  ramparts  with  tattered 
mantles.  There  was  clotted  blood  on  many  rich 
kaftans,  and  the  beautiful  bronze  helmets  were 
covered  with  dust. 

"  Have  you  bound  us  ?  "  shouted  the  Zaporozh- 
tzi  to  them  from  below. 

"I'll  give  it  to  you!"  shouted  back  the  fat 
Colonel  from  above,  shaking  a  rope  at  them;  and 
the  weary,  dust-covered  warriors  ceased  not  to 


1 82  TARAS  BULB  A 

threaten,  while  the  most  exasperating  on  both 
sides  exchanged  fierce  remarks. 

At  last  all  dispersed.  One,  weary  with  battle, 
stretched  himself  out  to  rest;  another  sprinkled  his 
wounds  with  earth,  and  tore  up  for  bandages  ker- 
chiefs and  rich  garments  captured  from  the  enemy. 
Others,  who  were  less  exhausted,  began  to  sort 
over  the  corpses,  and  to  render  them  the  last 
honours.  They  dug  graves  with  their  swords  and 
spears,  brought  earth  in  their  caps  and  the  skirts 
of  their  garments,  laid  the  kazaks'  bodies  out 
decently,  and  buried  them  in  fresh  earth,  in  order 
that  the  ravens  and  the  eagles  might  not  claw  out 
their  eyes.  But  binding  the  corpses  of  the  Lyakhs 
by  tens,  as  they  came  to  hand,  to  the  tails  of  wild 
horses,  they  let  these  loose  on  the  plain,  pursued 
them,  and  lashed  them  for  a  long  time  on  their 
flanks.  The  infuriated  horses  flew  over  furrow 
and  hillock,  through  gullies  and  streams,  and 
thrashed  the  bodies  of  the  Poles,  all  covered  with 
blood  and  dust,  against  the  earth. 

Then  all  the  kurens  sat  down  in  circles  in  the 
evening,  and  talked  long  of  their  deeds,  and  of  the 
feats  which  had  fallen  to  the  share  of  each,  for 
eternal  repetition  by  newcomers  and  by  posterity. 
It  was  long  before  they  lay  down  to  sleep;  and 
longer  still  before  old  Taras,  meditating  what  it 
might   signify  that   Andrii  was   not   among  the 


TARAS  BULB  A  183 

enemy's  warriors,  lay  down.  Had  Judas  been 
ashamed  to  come  forth  against  his  countrymen?  or 
had  the  Jew  deceived  him,  and  had  he  simply  been 
made  a  captive  against  his  will?  But  then  he 
recollected  that  Andril's  heart  was  boundlessly 
susceptible  to  feminine  speeches:  he  felt  ashamed, 
and  swore  a  mighty  oath  in  spirit  against  the  fair 
Pole  who  had  bewitched  his  son.  And  he  would 
have  put  his  oath  into  execution.  He  would  not 
have  so  much  as  glanced  at  her  beauty,  he  would 
have  pulled  her  forth  by  her  thick  and  splendid 
hair;  he  would  have  dragged  her  after  him  all  over 
the  plain,  among  all  the  kazaks.  Her  splendid 
shoulders  and  bosom,  white  as  fresh-fallen  snow 
upon  the  mountain-tops,  would  have  been  bat- 
tered against  the  earth,  and  all  covered  with  blood 
and  dust.  He  would  have  dispersed  her  sumptu- 
ous, lovely  body,  in  fragments.  But  Taras  did 
not  know  what  God  was  preparing  for  man  on  the 
morrow,  and  began  to  forget  himself  with  drowsi- 
ness, and  finally  fell  asleep.  But  the  kazaks  still 
went  on  talking  among  themselves;  and  the  sober 
sentinel  stood  all  night  long  beside  the  fire,  never 
closing  his  eyes,  and  looking  intently  on  all  sides. 


CHAPTER  EIGHT 


VIII 

THE  sun  had  not  scaled  half  the  height  of 
heaven  when  all  the  kazaks  assembled  In 
a  group.  News  had  arrived  from  the 
Syech  that  the  Tatars,  during  the  kazaks'  absence, 
had  plundered  It  thoroughly,  had  dug  up  the  treas- 
ures which  the  kazaks  kept  burled  In  the  ground, 
had  killed  or  carried  away  Into  captivity  all  who 
remained,  and  had  straightway  set  out,  with  all  the 
flocks  and  droves  of  horses  they  had  collected,  for 
Perekop. 

One  kazak  only,  Maksim  Golodukha,  had  torn 
himself  out  of  the  Tatars'  hands  on  the  road,  had 
stabbed  the  MIrza,  had  unbound  his  bag  of 
sequins,  and  on  a  Tatar  horse.  In  Tatar  garments, 
had  fled  before  his  pursuers  for  two  nights  and  a 
day  and  a  half,  ridden  his  horse  to  death,  changed 
to  another,  killed  that  one  also,  and  arrived  at  the 
Zaporozhlan  camp  upon  a  third,  having  learned 
on  the  way  that  the  Zaporozhtzi  were  before 
Dubno.  He  only  succeeded  In  informing  them 
that  this  misfortune  had  happened,  but  how  It  had 
happened, —  whether  the  Zaporozhtzi  who  had  re- 
mained   behind    had    been    carousing    in    kazak 

187 


i88  TARAS  BULBA 

fashion,  and  had  been  carried  drunk  into  captivity, 
and  how  the  Tatars  had  learned  in  what  spot  the 
treasures  of  the  Army  were  buried, —  he  said  noth- 
ing. The  kazak  was  extremely  tired;  he  was  all 
swollen,  and  his  face  was  burned  and  scorched  by 
the  wind;  he  fell  down  at  once,  and  a  deep  sleep 
overpowered  him. 

In  such  cases  it  was  customary  for  the  Koshevoi 
to  pursue  the  brigands  on  the  instant,  endeavour- 
ing to  overtake  them  on  the  road ;  for,  the  prison- 
ers might  find  themselves  promptly  in  the  bazaars 
of  Asia  Minor,  in  Smyrna,  or  the  Island  of  Crete, 
and  God  knows  in  what  places  the  scalp-locked 
heads  of  Zaporozhtzi  might  not  be  seen.  This 
was  the  reason  of  the  kazaks  assembling.  They 
all  stood,  to  a  man,  with  their  caps  on;  for  they 
were  not  come  together  at  the  word  of  command  of 
their  ruling  ataman,  but  to  take  counsel  together 
as  equals  with  equals.  "  Let  the  old  men  first 
advise !  "  rose  a  shout  from  the  crowd.  "  Let  the 
Koshevoi  give  his  opinion  I  "  said  others. 

And  the  Koshevoi,  doffing  his  cap,  not  as  com- 
mander, but  as  a  comrade  among  comrades, 
thanked  all  the  kazaks  for  the  honour,  and  said: 
"  There  are  among  us  many  old  men,  and  those 
who  are  wiser  in  counsel;  but  since  you  have 
deemed  me  worthy,  this  is  my  advice :  not  to  lose 
any  time,  comrades,  but  to  pursue  the  Tatars,  for 


TARAS  BULB  A  189 

you  know,  yourselves,  what  sort  of  a  man  the  Tatar 
is.  He  will  not  pause  with  his  stolen  booty  to 
await  our  coming,  but  will  vanish  in  a  twinkling, 
so  that  you  can  find  no  trace  of  him.  Therefore, 
this  is  my  counsel:  Go.  We  have  already 
diverted  ourselves  sufficiently  here.  The  Lyakhs 
know  what  the  kazaks  are  like.  We  have  avenged 
our  Faith  to  the  extent  of  our  powers ;  there's  not 
much  to  satisfy  greed  in  this  famished  city.  And 
so  my  advice  is :     Go." 

"  Go  I  "  rang  heavily  through  the  Zaporozhian 
kurens.  But  such  words  did  not  suit  Taras  Bulbars 
mood  at  all;  and  he  brought  his  frowning,  Iron- 
grey  brows  still  lower  down  over  his  eyes,  like 
bushes  growing  on  a  dark,  lofty  mountain,  whose 
crests  are  suddenly  covered  with  prickly  northern 
frost. 

"  No,  Koshevoi,  your  counsel  Is  not  good,"  said 
he.  "  You  have  not  spoken  aright.  Evidently, 
you  have  forgotten  that  our  men  captured  by  the 
Lyakhs  will  remain  prisoners?  Evidently  you 
wish  that  we  should  not  respect  the  first  holy  law 
of  comradeship ;  that  we  should  leave  our  brethren 
to  be  flayed  alive,  or  to  be  carried  about  through 
the  towns  and  villages  after  their  kazak  bodies 
have  been  quartered,  as  was  done  with  the  Het- 
man,  and  the  bravest  warriors  In  the  Ukralna. 
Have  not  they  already  blasphemed  sufficiently 


190  TARAS  BULBA 

against  the  holy  things  without  that?  What  are 
we  ?  I  ask  you  all,  what  sort  of  a  kazak  would  he 
be  who  should  desert  his  comrade  in  misfortune, 
and  let  him  perish  like  a  dog  In  a  foreign  land? 
If  it  has  come  to  such  a  pass  that  no  one  has  any 
confidence  In  kazak  honour,  permitting  himself  to 
spit  upon  his  grey  moustache,  and  upbraid  him 
with  offensive  words,  then  no  one  will  blame  me. 
I  will  remain  here  alone." 

All    the   Zaporozhtzl    then   who    stood   there 
wavered. 

**  And  have  you  forgotten,  brave  colonel,"  saic 
the  Koshevol,  **  that  the  Tatars  also  have  our  coi 
rades  in  their  hands ;  that  if  we  do  not  rescue  thei 
now,  they  will  be  sold  Into  everlasting  captlvll 
among  the  infidels,  which  is  worse  than  the  mosj 
cruel  death?     Have  you  forgotten  that  they  no^ 
hold  all  our  treasure,  won  by  Christian  blood? 

All  the  kazaks  pondered,  and  knew  not  what  t< 
say.  None  of  them  wished  to  merit  disgracefi 
renown.  Then  there  stepped  out  in  front  of  thei 
the  oldest  in  years  of  all  the  Zaporozhian  army,] 
Kasyan  Bovdyug.  He  was  respected  by  all  the 
kazaks.  Twice  had  he  been  elected  Koshevol,  and 
he  had  also  been  a  very  brave  kazak  in  the  wars : 
but  he  had  long  been  old,  and  had  been  upon  no 
expeditions,  neither  did  the  old  man  like  to  give 
advice  to  any  one ;  but  he  loved  to  lie  constantly  on 


m 


TARAS  BULBA  191 

his  side  in  the  circle  of  kazaks,  listening  to  the  tale 
of  every  occurrence  on  the  kazak  marches.  He 
never  joined  in  the  conversation,  but  merely 
listened,  and  with  his  finger  pressed  the  ashes  down 
In  the  short  pipe  which  never  left  his  mouth;  and 
then  he  would  sit  long,  with  his  eyes  half  open,  and 
the  kazaks  never  knew  whether  he  were  asleep  or 
still  listening.  He  always  stayed  at  home  during 
their  expeditions,  but  on  this  occasion,  the  whim  to 
take  part  had  seized  upon  the  old  man.  He  waved 
his  hand,  in  kazak  fashion,  and  said,  "So  be  it! 
I'm  going  also;  perhaps  I  may  be  of  some  service 
to  the  kazak  nation."  All  the  kazaks  fell  silent 
when  he  now  stepped  forward  before  the  assembly, 
for  it  was  long  since  any  speech  from  him  had  been 
heard.  Each  man  wanted  to  know  what  Bovdyug 
had  to  say. 

"  It's  my  turn  to  speak  a  word,  brother  nobles," 
e  began:  "  listen,  my  lads,  to  an  old  man.  The 
Koshevoi  spoke  wisely,  and  as  the  head  of  the 
Kazak  army,  and  bound  to  protect  It;  and  regret- 
ting the  treasures  of  the  army,  he  could  have  said 
nothing  wiser.  That's  a  fact!  That's  my  first 
speech.  And  now  barken  to  my  second  —  and 
this  is  my  second  speech :  Colonel  Taras  has  spoken 
even  more  truly,  God  grant  him  many  years,  and 
that  such  colonels  as  he  may  be  plentiful  in  the 
Ukraina !     The  first  duty  and  the  first  honour  of 


192  TARAS  BULBA 

a  kazak  is  to  uphold  comradeship.  Never  in  all 
my  life,  brother  nobles,  have  I  heard  of  any  kazak 
deserting  or  selling  any  of  his  comrades.  The 
men  there  and  the  men  here  are  equally  our  com- 
rades, whether  they  be  few  or  many,  and  all  are 
dear  to  us.  So  this  is  my  speech:  Let  those  to 
whom  the  prisoners  captured  by  the  Tatars  are 
dear,  set  out  after  the  Tatars;  and  let  those  to 
whom  the  captives  of  the  Poles  are  dear,  and  who 
do  not  wish  to  desert  a  righteous  cause,  stay  be- 
hind. The  Koshevoi,  in  accordance  with  his  duty, 
will  accompany  one  half  in  pursuit  of  the  Tatars, 
and  the  other  half  may  choose  a  temporary  ata- 
man to  lead  them.  But  if  you  will  heed  the  words 
of  an  old  man,  there  is  no  one  more  fit  to  act  as 
temporary  ataman  than  Taras  Bulba.  Not  one 
of  us  is  his  equal  in  valour." 

Thus  spoke  Bovdyug,  and  paused;  and  all  the 
kazaks  rejoiced  that  the  old  man  had,  in  this  man- 
ner, set  them  to  rights.  All  tossed  up  their  caps, 
and  shouted :     "  Thanks,  batko !  ^     He  has  been 

"^Batko  is  the  Little  Russian  form  of  battushka,  and  means 
"  father  "  in  the  same  way  that  the  old  English  gaffer,  derived 
from  grandfather,  was  used  as  a  term  of  respect.  All  priests 
are  addressed  as  "batiushka,"  and  a  priest's  wife  is  addressed 
and  alluded  to  as  the  corresponding,  "matushka";  and  the 
two  words  are  (as  Count  L.  N.  Tolstoy  once  said  to  me)  "the 
only  genuine  Russian  *  titles.' "  Nevertheless,  if  one  were  to 
translate  the  two  words  as  "father"  and  "mother,"  Russians 


TARAS  BULBA  193 

silent, —  silent  for  a  long  time,  but  he  has  spoken 
at  last.  Not  in  vain  did  he  say,  when  we  were 
preparing  for  this  expedition,  that  he  might  be  use- 
ful to  the  kazak  nation:  even  so  has  it  come  to 
pass!  " 

"  Well,  are  you  agreed  upon  anything?  "  asked 
the  Koshevol. 

"  We  are !  "  shouted  the  kazaks. 

"  Then  the  Council  is  at  an  end?  '' 

"  It  is!  "  shouted  the  kazaks. 

"  Then  listen  to  the  military  command,  my 
lads,"  said  the  Koshevol,  stepping  forward,  and 
putting  on  his  cap;  and  all  the  kazaks  took  off  their 
caps,  and  stood  with  heads  uncovered  and  eyes 
fixed  upon  the  earth,  as  was  always  the  custom 
among  the  kazaks  when  the  leader  prepared  to 
speak.  *'  Now  divide  yourselves,  brother  nobles ! 
Let  those  who  wish  to  go  take  their  stand  on  the 
right,  and  those  who  wish  to  stay  on  the  left. 

'here  the  majority  of  a  kuren  goes,  there  the  rest 

•e  to  go;  if  a  minority  of  a  kuren  goes  over,  it 
bust  be  added  to  another  kuren." 

And  they  began  to  take  up  their  positions,  some 
^n  the  right,  some  on  the  left.     Whither  the  ma- 

mld   wax   hilarious;    and   as   we   do  not   use   "gaflPer"   in 
lerica,  and  have  no  corresponding  term  of  affectionate  re- 
ject,   readers    must    accept    "batko"    and    this    explanation. 

F.  n. 


194  TARAS  BULBA 

jority  of  a  kuren  went,  there  the  ataman  went  also; 
and  where  there  was  a  minority,  the  kuren  attached 
itself  to  another  kuren ;  and  it  came  out  pretty  even 
on  both  sides.  Those  who  wished  to  remain  were 
nearly  the  whole  of  the  Nezamalkovsky  kuren,  the 
larger  half  of  the  Popovichevsky  kuren,  the  entire 
Umansky  kuren,  the  entire  Kanevsky  kuren,  and 
the  larger  half  of  the  Stebllkivsky  and  Timoshev- 
sky  kurens.  All  the  rest  offered  to  go  In  pursuit 
of  the  Tatars.  On  both  sides  were  many  stalwart 
and  valorous  kazaks.  Among  those  who  decided 
to  pursue  the  Tatars  were  Cherevaty,  and  the  good 
old  kazaks,  Pokotypole,  Lemish,  and  Khoma  Prok- 
opovlch.  Demid  Popovich  also  went  in  that  party, 
because  he  was  a  kazak  of  a  very  restless  disposi- 
tion, and  he  could  not  stay  still  long  in  one  place : 
he  had  tried  his  hand  on  the  Lyakhs,  and  now 
wanted  to  try  it  on  the  Tatars  also.  The  atamans 
of  kurens  were  Nostyugan,  Pokryshka,  Nevynsky, 
any  many  other  brave  and  renowned  kazaks  who 
wished  to  put  their  swords  and  their  brawny  shoul- 
ders to  the  test  In  an  encounter  with  the  Tatars. 
There  were,  likewise,  very  brave  kazaks  not  a 
few  among  those  who  elected  to  remain:  the 
kuren  atamans  Demytrovich,  Kukubenko,  Verty- 
khvlst,  Balan,  and  Bulbars  Ostap.  Besides  these 
there  were  many  valiant  and  distinguished  kazaks: 
Yovtuzenko,  Cherevychenko,  Stepan  Guska,  Okh- 


TARAS  BULBA  195 

Tim  Guska,  Mykola  Gustyl,  Zodorozhnli,  Mete- 
litza,  Ivan  Zakrutyguba,  Mosii  Shilo,  Degtyar- 
enko,  Sydorenko,  Pisarenko,  a  second  PIsarenko, 
and  still  another  Pisarenko,  and  many  other  good 
kazaks.  All  of  them  had  had  great  experience  and 
had  travelled  far  and  wide ;  they  had  been  on  the 
shores  of  Anatolia,  on  the  salt  marshes  and  the 
steppes  of  the  Crimea,  on  all  the  rivers,  great  and 
small  which  empty  into  the  Dnyeper,  and  on  all  the 
fords  and  Islands  of  the  Dnyeper :  they  had  been  in 
Moldavia,  Valakhia,  and  the  Turkish  land;  they 
had  sailed  all  over  the  Black  Sea  in  their  double- 
ruddered  kazak  boats;  they  had  attacked  with  fifty 
skiffs  in  line  the  tallest  and  richest  ships;  they  had 
sunk  many  a  Turkish  galley,  and  had  burned  much, 
very  much  powder  in  their  day ;  more  than  once  had 
they  torn  up  velvets  and  rich  stuffs  of  cotton  and 
silk  for  foot-wrappers;  many  a  time  had  they 
beaten  out  buckles  for  the  straps  which  confined 
their  full  trousers,  from  the  sequins  of  pure  gold. 
And  every  one  of  them  had  drunk  up  and  revelled 
away  as  much  as  would  have  sufficed  any  other  man 
for  a  whole  lifetime,  and  there  was  nothing  to  show 
for  it.  They  had  squandered  it  all,  like  kazaks, 
in  treating  all  the  world,  and  in  hiring  music  so 
that  every  one  might  be  merry.  Even  now  rare 
was  the  man  among  them  who  had  not  some 
property:  tankards,  silver  porringers,  bracelets, 


196  TARAS  BULBA 

buried  under  the  reeds  on  the  islands  of  the 
Dnyeper  In  order  that  the  Tatars  might  not  find 
them  If,  In  case  of  disaster,  they  should  succeed  In 
making  a  sudden  attack  on  the  Syech;  but  It  would 
have  been  difficult  for  a  Tatar  to  find  them,  for  the 
owner  himself  was  already  beginning  to  forget 
where  he  had  burled  them.  Such  were  the  kazaks 
who  wished  to  remain  and  take  vengeance  on  the 
Lyakhs  for  their  trusty  comrades  and  the  Faith  of 
Christ  I  The  aged  kazak  Bovdyug  also  wished  to 
remain  with  them,  saying:  "My  years  do  not 
permit  me  to  pursue  the  Tatars,  but  this  Is  the 
place  where  I  may  lie  down  In  a  good  kazak  death. 
Long  have  I  prayed  to  God  that  when  my  life  was 
to  end,  I  might  end  It  In  a  war  for  a  holy  and 
Christian  cause.  And  so  It  has  come  to  pass. 
There  can  be  no  more  glorious  end  In  any  other 
place  for  the  old  kazak." 

When  they  had  all  separated,  and  had  ranged 
themselves  In  two  lines  on  opposite  sides,  the 
Koshevol  passed  through  the  ranks,  and  said: 
*'  Well,  brother  nobles,  are  the  two  parties  satisfied 
with  each  other?'* 

*'  Yes,  all  satisfied,  batko  I  "  replied  the  kazaks. 

"  Then  kiss  one  another,  and  say  good-bye ;  for 
God  knows  whether  you  will  ever  see  each  other 
again  In  this  life.     Obey  your  Ataman,  and  do 


TARAS  BULBA  197 

what  your  duty  bids  you.  You  yourselves  know 
what  kazak  honour  commands." 

And  all  the  kazaks  began  to  exchange  kisses. 
The  atamans  were  the  first  to  begin :  stroking  down 
their  grey  moustaches,  they  kissed  each  other  in 
cross-form,  then  grasping  each  other's  hands,  and 
squeezing  them  firmly,  each  wanted  to  say  to  the 
other :  "  Well,  Sir  brother,  shall  we  meet  again 
or  not  ?  '*  But  they  did  not  ask  the  question :  they 
kept  silent,  and  both  greyheads  speculated  on  the 
future.  Then  the  kazaks  took  leave  of  one  an- 
other, to  the  last  man,  knowing  well  that  both 
parties  had  a  great  deal  of  work  before  them. 
But  they  were  not  obliged  to  part  at  once,-^  they 
had  to  wait  until  dark  night,  in  order  that  the 
enemy  might  not  notice  the  diminution  in  the 
kazak  army.  Then  they  all  went  off,  by  kurens, 
to  dine. 

After  dinner,  all  who  had  the  journey  before 
them  lay  down  to  rest,  and  fell  into  a  deep  and  long 
sleep,  as  though  foreseeing  that  it  was,  perhaps, 
the  last  sleep  they  would  taste  In  such  freedom. 
They  slept  even  until  sunset;  and  when  the  sun 
had  gone  down,  and  twilight  had  descended  to  a 
certain  degree,  they  began  to  grease  their  carts. 
When  everything  was  in  readiness,  they  sent  the 
wagons  on  ahead,  and  having  doffed  their  caps 


198  TARAS  BULBA 

once  more  to  their  comrades,  they  quickly  followed 
the  transports.  The  cavalry,  with  dignity,  with- 
out shouts  or  whistling  at  the  horses,  tramped 
lightly  after  the  foot-soldiers;  and  all  speedily 
vanished  In  the  darkness.  The  only  sound  was  the 
dull  thud  of  horses'  hoofs,  or  the  creaking  of  some 
wheel  which  had  not  got  into  working  order,  or 
had  not  been  properly  greased,  because  of  the 
darkness  of  the  night. 

Their  comrades  stood  for  a  long  time  waving 
their  hands  to  them  from  afar,  though  nothing 
could  be  seen.  But  when  they  returned  to  their 
places,  when  they  perceived,  by  the  light  of  the 
brightly  gleaming  stars,  that  half  the  carts  were 
gone,  and  many,  many  of  their  comrades,  then 
every  man's  heart  grew  sad;  and  all  Involuntarily 
became  pensive,  and  their  pleasure-loving  heads 
drooped  towards  the  earth. 

Taras  saw  how  troubled  the  kazaks  had  become, 
and  that  sadness,  unfitting  for  brave  men,  had 
begun  quietly  to  overmaster  their  heads;  but  he 
remained  silent.  He  wished  to  give  them  all  time 
to  become  accustomed  to  the  melancholy  caused 
by  their  parting  from  their  comrades;  but  mean- 
time, he  was  quietly  preparing  to  arouse  them  sud- 
denly, and  all  at  once,  by  a  loud  war-whoop,  in 
kazak  fashion,  in  order  that  there  might  return 


TARAS  BULBA  199 

atresh,  and  with  greater  strength  than  before,  to 
the  soul  of  each,  that  valour  of  which  only  the 
Slav  race  —  a  broad  and  powerful  race, —  which 
is  to  others  what  the  sea  Is  to  shallow  rivers, —  Is 
capable.  In  stormy  times  it  turns  all  to  roaring 
and  thunder,  raging  and  raising  such  waves  as 
weak  rivers  cannot  throw  up ;  but  when  It  Is  wind- 
less and  quiet,  clearer  than  any  river  It  spreads 
Its  boundless,  glassy  surface,  a  constant  delight  to 
the  eye. 

And  Taras  ordered  his  servitors  to  unload  one 
of  the  wagons  which  stood  apart  from  the  rest. 
It  was  larger  and  stronger  than  any  other  In  the 
kazak  camp ;  stout,  double  tires  encircled  Its  huge 
wheels.  It  was  heavily  laden,  covered  with  horse- 
cloths and  strong  wolf-skins,  and  firmly  bound  with 
tightly-drawn,  tarred  ropes.  In  the  wagon  were 
flasks  and  casks  of  good,  old  wine,  which  had  lain 
long  In  Taras's  cellars.  He  had  brought  it  along 
as  a  reserve,  to  celebrate  some  occasion,  in  case  a 
grand  moment  should  arrive,  when  there  awaited 
them  some  deed  worthy  of  being  handed  down  to 
posterity,  so  that  each  kazak,  to  the  very  last  man, 
might  quaff  the  forbidden  liquor  and  be  inspired 
with  a  grand  sentiment  befitting  the  grand  mo- 
ment. On  receiving  their  ColonePs  command  the 
servants  hastened  to  the  wagon,  hewed  the  stout 


200  TARAS  BULBA 

ropes  with  their  swords,  removed  the  thick  wolf- 
skins and  horse-cloths,  and  drew  forth  the  flasks 
and  casks. 

"  Take  it,  all  of  you,"  said  Bulba,  "  all  of  you, 
no  matter  how  many  there  are,  take  it  in  whatever 
you  have,  a  ladle  or  a  bucket  for  watering  the 
horses;  or  your  sleeve,  or  your  cap;  but  if  you 
have  nothing  else,  then  simply  hold  your  two  fists 
under." 

And  all  the  kazaks  seized  something:  one  took  a 
ladle,  another  a  horse-bucket,  another  a  sleeve,  an- 
other a  cap,  and  still  another  held  out  both  his 
hands.  Taras's  servants,  making  their  way 
among  the  ranks,  poured  out  for  all,  from  the 
casks  and  flasks.  But  Taras  ordered  them  not  to 
drink  until  he  should  give  the  signal  for  all  to  drink 
together.  It  was  evident  that  he  wished  to  say 
something.  Taras  knew  that,  no  matter  how 
strong  in  itself  the  good  old  wine  might  be,  and 
however  fitted  to  strengthen  the  spirit  of  man,  yet 
if  a  suitable  speech  were  linked  with  it,  then  the 
strength  of  the  wine  and  of  the  spirit  would  be 
doubly  great. 

"  I  treat  you,  sir  brothers !  "  thus  spoke  Bulba, 
"  not  in  honour  of  your  having  made  me  your 
ataman,  great  as  that  honour  is,  nor  to  celebrate 
our  parting  from  our  comrades.  No ;  both  these 
would  be  fitting  at  a  different  time,  but  not  such  is 


TARAS  BULBA  201; 

the  present  moment.  The  work  before  us  Is  great 
in  labour,  and  in  glory  for  the  kazaks !  Let  us, 
therefore,  comrades,  drink  all  together, —  let  us 
drink,  before  all  else,  to  the  Holy  Orthodox  Faith, 
that  the  day  may  come,  at  last,  when  it  may  be 
spread  over  all  the  world,  and  that  everywhere 
there  may  be  but  one  Faith,  and  that  all  Mussul- 
mans may  become  Christians !  And  let  us  drink 
also,  all  together,  to  the  Syech,  that  it  may  stand 
long  for  the  destruction  of  the  Mussulmans,  that 
each  year  there  may  issue  forth  from  it  young  men, 
each  better,  each  handsomer,  than  the  other.  And 
let  us  also  drink,  all  together,  to  our  own  glory, 
that  our  grandsons  and  the  sons  of  those  grand- 
sons may  say  that  there  once  were  men  who  were 
not  ashamed  of  comradeship,  and  who  never  be- 
trayed one  another.  Now  —  to  the  Faith,  sir 
brothers,  to  the  Faith!  " 

"To  the  Faith!"  shouted,  with  thick  voices, 
those  who  were  standing  In  the  near-by  ranks. 
"  To  the  Faith !  "  those  more  distant  took  up  the 
cry, —  and  all,  both  young  and  old,  drank  to  the 
Faith. 

"  To  the  Syech !  "  said  Taras,  raising  his  hand 
high  above  his  head. 

"  To  the  Syech  I  "  echoed  the  foremost  ranks. 
**  To  the  Syech!  "  said  the  old  men  softly,  twitch- 
ing their  grey  moustaches;  and  eagerly  as  young 


202  TARAS  BULBA 

hawks  the  youths  repeated:  "To  the  Syech!'* 
And  the  distant  plain  heard  how  the  kazaks  com- 
memorated their  Syech. 

*'  Now,  a  last  draught,  comrades,  to  the  glory 
of  all  Christians  now  living  In  the  world  I  " 

And  every  kazak  drank  a  last  draught  to  the 
glory  of  all  Christians  in  the  world.  And  among 
the  ranks,  In  all  the  kurens,  they  long  repeated: 
"  For  all  the  Christians  In  the  world!  " 

The  ladles  ^  were  empty,  but  the  kazaks  still 
stood  with  their  hands  uplifted.  Although  the 
eyes  of  all  gleamed  cheerily  with  the  liquor,  all 
were  thinking  deeply.  Not  of  greed  or  of  the 
spoils  of  war  were  they  thinking  now,  nor  of  which 
of  them  would  be  lucky  enough  to  acquire  ducats, 
fine  weapons,  embroidered  kaftans  and  Cherkessian 
horses;  but  they  were  meditating  like  eagles 
perched  upon  the  rocky  crests  of  lofty,  precipitous 
mountains,  from  which,  far  away,  the  boundless 
sea  Is  visible,  dotted,  as  with  tiny  birds,  with  gal- 
leys, ships,  and  every  sort  of  vessel,  confined  at  the 
sides  by  scarcely  visible,  thin  lines  of  shore  with 
their  sea-coast  cities  like  gnats,  and  their  bending 
forests  like  short  grass.  Like  eagles  they  gazed 
about  them  over  all  the  plain,  and  at  their  Fate 

^The  kovsh,  a  vessel  for  drinking  or  for  ladling  liquids, 
resembles  in  form,  somewhat,  the  old-fashioned  porringer. 
I.  F.  H. 


TARAS  BULBA  203 

:ling  in  the  distance.  It  will  come,  all  the 
plain,  with  Its  waste  lands  and  Its  road-tracks  will 
be  covered  with  their  white,  protruding  bones, 
lavishly  washed  with  their  kazak  blood,  and 
strewn  with  shattered  wagons  and  splintered 
swords  and  spears:  far  afield  will  be  strewn  the 
scalp-locked  heads,  with  downward-drooping  mous- 
taches; the  eagles  will  swoop  down,  and  tear  out 
their  kazak  eyes.  But  there  Is  great  good  In  this 
so  widely  and  boldly  broadcast  bivouac  of  death  I 
Not  a  single  magnanimous  deed  will  perish,  and 
the  kazak  glory  will  not  be  lost,  like  a  tiny  grain 
of  powder  from  a  gun-barrel.  He  will  come,  the 
bandura-player  with  grey  beard  falling  upon  his 
breast  will  come,  and  perhaps  the  old  man  still 
full  of  ripe,  manly  strength,  though  his  head  is 
white  with  years,  eloquent  by  the  spirit,  will  utter 
ringing,  mighty  words  of  them.  And  their  glory 
shall  resound  through  all  the  world,  and  all  who 
shall  be  born  thereafter  shall  speak  of  them;  for 
the  word  of  power  Is  borne  afar,  reverberating 
like  a  booming,  brazen  bell.  In  which  the  maker 
has  mingled  much  pure  silver,  that  Its  beautiful 
sound  may  be  wafted  far  and  wide  through  cities, 
huts,  palaces  and  villages,  summoning  all  men, 
without  exception,  to  hold  orisons. 


CHAPTER  NINE 


IX 


No  one  In  the  city  knew  that  one-half  of  the 
kazaks  had  gone  in  pursuit  of  the  Tatars. 
From  the  tower  of  the  Magistracy  all 
the  sentinels  observed  was,  that  a  part  of  the 
wagons  had  been  dragged  Into  the  forest :  but  they 
thought  the  kazaks  were  preparing  an  ambush; 
so,  also,  thought  the  French  engineer.  Mean- 
while, the  Koshevoi's  words  proved  to  be  not  de- 
void of  foundation,  and  a  scarcity  of  provisions 
arose  In  the  city. 

In  accordance  with  the  custom  of  past  centuries, 
the  troops  did  not  separate  as  much  as  was  neces- 
sary. They  tried  to  make  a  sortie;  but  half  the 
venturesome  men  were  Instantly  slain  by  the 
kazaks,  and  the  other  half  driven  into  the  city  with 
no  result.  But  the  Jews  availed  themselves  of  the 
opportunity  to  find  out  everything:  whither  and 
why  the  Zaporozhtzl  had  departed,  and  with  what 
leaders,  and  which  particular  kurens,  and  their 
number,  and  how  many  had  remained  on  the  spot, 
and  what  they  Intended  to  do:  In  short,  within  a 
few  minutes,  everything  was  known  In  the  city. 
The  colonels  took  courage  and  prepared  to  offer 
207 


2o8  TARAS  BULBA 

battle.     Taras  had  already  divined  it  by  the  noise 
and  movement  in  the  city,  and  toiled  energetically, 
making  his  arrangements,  forming  his  men  Into 
columns,    issuing    orders    and    instructions.     He 
ranged  the  kurens  in  three  camps,   surrounding 
them  with  the  wagons,  in  the  guise  of  bulwarks, — 
a  form  of  battle  in  which  the  Zaporozhtzi  were  in-| 
vincible.     He  ordered  two  kurens  into  ambush] 
he  drove  sharp  stakes,  broken  guns,  fragments  oi 
spears,  into  a  part  of  the  plain,  with  a  view  toj 
forcing  the  enemy's  cavalry  upon  It,  should  an  o] 
portunity  present  itself.     And  when  all  was  don^ 
that  was  needed,  he  made  a  speech  to  the  kazaks 
not  for  the  purpose  of  encouraging  and  fresheninj 
up  their  spirits, —  he  knew  that  they  were  stronj 
of   soul   without   that, —  but   simply   because   h( 
wished  to  tell  them  all  he  had  in  his  heart. 

"  I  want  to  tell  you,   sir  brothers,  what  ourj 
brotherhood    Is.     You    have    heard    from    youi 
fathers  and  grandfathers  In  what  honour  our  lam 
has  always  been  held  by  all  men.     We  have  made^ 
ourselves  known  to  the  Greeks,  and  we  capturef 
gold  from  Tzargrad,^  and  our  cities  were  luxuri- 
ous, and  so  were  the  temples  and  the  Princes, — -[ 
the    Princes    of    the    Russian    people,    our    own 
Princes,  not  Catholic  unbelievers.     But  the  Mus- 

iTzargrad,  i.e.,   Imperial   City;  the  only  Russian  name  for 
Constantinople.    I.  F.  H. 


TARAS  BULBA  209 


sulmans  took  all,  all  vanished,  and  only  we  orphans 
remained,  yea,  like  unto  a  widow  after  the  death  of 
a  powerful  husband:  orphaned  was  our  land,  as 
well  as  ourselves !  Such  was  the  time,  comrades, 
when  we  joined  hands  in  a  brotherhood:  that  is 
what  our  fellowship  consists  of!  There  is  no 
bond  more  sacred  than  brotherhood.  A  father 
loves  his  children,  a  mother  loves  her  children,  the 
children  love  their  father  and  their  mother;  but 
this  is  not  like  that,  brethren !  the  wild  beasts  also 
love  their  young  I  But  only  men  can  enter  into 
a  relationship  which  is  of  the  spirit  and  not  of 
blood.  There  have  been  comrades  in  other  lands, 
but  never  any  such  brotherhoods  as  on  our  Rus- 
sian soil.  It  has  happened  to  many  of  you  to  be 
lost  for  awhile  in  foreign  lands.  You  look :  there 
are  people  there,  also!  They,  also,  are  God's 
creatures ;  and  you  talk  with  them  as  with  the  men 
of  your  own  country.  But  when  it  comes  to  say- 
ing a  heartfelt  word  —  you  see  the  difference. 
No!  they're  sensible  folks,  but  not  the  right  sort; 
the  same  kind  of  people,  and  yet  not  the  same! 
No,  brothers,  to  love  as  the  Russian  soul  loves,  is 
to  love  not  with  the  mind  or  anything  else,  but 
with  all  that  God  has  given  you,  all  that  is  within 
you. —  Ah !  "  said  Taras,  and  waved  his  hand, 
shook  his  grey  head,  twitched  his  moustache,  and 
then  went  on :     **  No,  no  one  can  love  in  that  way ! 


210  TARAS  BULBA 

I  know  that  baseness  has  now  made  its  way  into 
our  land.  Men  care  only  to  possess  ricks  of  grain 
and  hay,  and  their  droves  of  horses,  and  that  their 
sealed  mead  may  be  untouched  in  their  cellars ;  they 
adopt  the  Devil  only  knows  what  Mussulman  cus- 
toms. They  abhor  their  own  language.  They 
care  not  to  speak  their  real  thoughts  with  their 
own  countrymen.  They  sell  their  fellow-country- 
men as  they  sell  soulless  creatures  on  the  market- 
place. The  favour  of  a  foreign  king  —  and  not 
even  of  a  king,  but  the  grudging  favour  of  a 
Polish  magnate,  who  beats  them  on  the  mouth 
with  his  yellow  shoe,  is  dearer  to  them  than  all 
brotherhood.  But  the  very  meanest  scoundrel, 
whoever  he  may  be,  given  over  though  he  be 
to  vileness  and  servility,  even  he,  brothers,  has  at 
least  a  Russian  feeling;  and  it  will  assert  itself 
some  day.  And  then  the  wretched  man  will  beat 
the  floor  with  his  hands;  and  he  will  grasp  his 
head  in  despair,  loudly  cursing  his  vile  life,  and 
ready  to  expiate  his  disgraceful  deeds  with  torture. 
For  they  know,  all  of  them,  what  brotherhood 
means  on  Russian  soil  I  And  if  it  has  come  to  the 
point  when  such  a  man  must  die,  not  one  of  them 
will  have  the  chance  to  die  in  the  right  way.  No  I 
Not  one  of  them !  'Tis  not  a  fitting  thing  for  their 
mouse-like  natures!"  Thus  spoke  the  Ataman; 
and  after  he  had  finished  his  speech,  he  still  con- 


TARAS  BULB  A  211 

tlnued  to  shake  his  head,  which  had  grown  silver  in 
kazak  affairs.  All  who  stood  there  were  deeply 
affected  by  this  speech,  which  went  to  their  very 
hearts.  The  oldest  In  the  ranks  stood  motionless, 
their  grey  heads  drooping  earthward :  a  tear  gath- 
ered quietly  in  their  aged  eyes;  they  slowly  wiped 
it  away  with  their  sleeve,  and  then  all,  as  with  one 
consent,  waved  their  hands  in  the  air  at  the  same 
moment,  and  shook  their  experienced  heads.  For 
it  was  evident  that  Taras  had  reminded  them  of 
many  of  the  best-known  and  finest  points  of  the 
heart  in  a  man  who  has  become  wise  through  suf- 
fering, toil,  daring,  and  every  earthly  misfortune, 
or,  though  unknown  to  them,  of  many  things  felt 
by  young,  pearly  spirits,  to  the  eternal  joy  of  the 
parents  who  bore  them. 

But  the  enemy's  troops  were  already  marching 
out  of  the  city,  to  the  thunder  of  kettledrums  and 
trumpets;  and  the  noble  lords,  with  arms  akimbo, 
rode  forth  surrounded  by  innumerable  retinues. 
The  fat  Colonel  was  giving  orders.  And  they 
began  to  advance  briskly  on  the  kazak  camps, 
threateningly  aiming  their  arquebuses,  with  eyes 
flashing  and  brazen  armour  glittering.  As  soon 
as  the  kazaks  perceived  that  they  had  arrived 
within  gunshot,  they  let  fly  all  together  with  their 
seven-palm  arquebuses,  and  continued  to  fire  with- 
out cessation. 


212  TARAS  BULBA 

The  heavy  detonations  resounded  through  the 
distant  fields  and  meadows,  merging  into  one  con- 
tinuous roar.  The  whole  plain  was  shrouded  In 
smoke,  but  the  Zaporozhtzi  went  on  firing  without 
stopping  to  draw  breath :  the  rear  ranks  did  noth- 
ing but  load  and  hand  to  those  in  front,  creating 
amazement  among  the  enemy  who  could  not  un- 
derstand how  the  kazaks  fired  without  loading 
their  guns.  Amid  the  dense  smoke  which  en- 
veloped both  armies,  It  could  no  longer  be  seen 
how  one  and  another  dropped  out  of  the  ranks  :| 
but  the  Lyakhs  felt  that  the  bullets  were  flying 
thickly,  and  that  the  engagement  was  growing  hot : 
and  when  they  retreated  to  escape  from  the  smoke 
and  to  take  an  observation,  many  were  missing 
from  the  ranks,  but  only  two  or  three  out  of  a  com- 
pany had  been  killed  on  the  kazak  side.  And  still 
the  kazaks  went  on  firing  their  arquebuses  without 
a  moment's  intermission.  Even  the  foreign  en- 
gineer was  amazed  at  tactics  heretofore  unknown 
to  him,  and  said,  then  and  there,  in  the  presence  of 
all,  "  Those  Zaporozhtzi  are  brave  lads.  That's 
the  way  men  in  other  lands  ought  to  fight."  And 
he  advised  that  the  cannon  should  immediately  be 
trained  on  the  camps.  Heavily  roared  the  iron 
cannon,  with  their  wide  throats ;  the  earth  hummed 
and  trembled  far  and  wide,  and  the  smoke  lay 
twice  as  heavy  over  the  plain.     The  reek  of  the 


TARAS  BULBA  213 

lowder  could  be  smelled  among  tHe  squares  and 
streets  in  the  most  distant  as  well  as  the  nearest 
quarters  of  the  city.  But  those  who  aimed  the 
cannon  pointed  them  too  high;  the  hot  shot 
described  too  large  a  curve;  screaming  horribly 
they  flew  over  the  heads  of  the  whole  camp,  and 
buried  themselves  deep  in  the  earth  at  a  distance, 
tearing  up  the  ground  and  throwing  the  black  dirt 
high  in  the  air.  At  the  sight  of  such  lack  of  skill, 
the  French  engineer  tore  his  hair,  and  undertook 
to  point  the  cannon  himself,  heeding  not  the  kazak 
bullets  which  burned  and  showered  around  him. 
Taras  saw  from  afar  that  the  whole  Nezamai- 
kovsky  and  Steblikivsky  kurens  were  threatened 
with  destruction,  and  uttered  a  ringing  shout: 
"  Get  away  instantly  from  behind  the  wagons,  and 
mount  your  horses!  '*  But  the  kazaks  would  not 
have  succeeded  in  effecting  these  two  movements 
had  not  Ostap  dashed  into  the  midst  of  the  enemy, 
and  wrenched  the  lunts  from  six  cannoneers.  But 
he  was  unable  to  wrench  them  from  the  remaining 
four:  the  Lyakhs  drove  him  back.  Meanwhile 
the  foreign  Captain  had  taken  a  lunt  in  his  own 
hand,  to  fire  off  the  largest  of  the  cannon  —  such 
a  cannon  as  none  of  the  kazaks  had  ever  beheld 
before.  It  looked  horrible,  with  its  wide  mouth, 
and  a  thousand  deaths  peered  forth  from  it.  And 
as  it  thundered,  the  three  others  followed,  shak- 


214  TARAS  BULBA 

ing  in  fourfold  earthquake  the  dully  responsive 
earth, —  and  much  woe  did  they  cause.  For  more 
than  one  kazak  wails  an  aged  mother,  beating  with 
bony  hands  her  feeble  breast;  more  than  one  widow 
will  be  left  in  Glukhov,  Nemlrov,  Chernigov,  and 
other  towns.  Every  day  will  the  loving  woman 
hasten  forth  to  the  bazaar,  catching  at  all  pass- 
ers-by, scanning  the  face  of  each  to  see  if  there 
be  not  among  them  one  dearer  than  all;  but  many 
troops  of  all  sorts  will  pass  through  the  town,  yet 
never  among  them  will  appear  the  single  one  who 
is  dearest  of  all  to  her. 

And  half  the  Nezamaikovsky  kuren  was  as 
though  it  had  never  been  I  As  hail  suddenly  beats 
down  a  field  where  every  ear  of  grain  shines  like  a 
ducat  of  full  weight,  so  were  they  beaten  down. 

How  hastened  the  kazaks  thither !  how  they  all 
started  up !  How  raged  the  ataman  of  the  kuren, 
Kukubenko,  when  he  saw  that  the  best  half  of  his 
kuren  was  no  more !  He  fought  his  way,  with  his 
remaining  Nezamalkovtzi,  to  the  very  heart  of  the 
fray,  hewed  down,  in  his  wrath,  like  a  cabbage,  the 
first  man  he  encountered,  hurled  many  a  rider  from 
his  horse,  impaling  both  horse  and  rider  with  his 
spear;  made  his  way  to  the  gunners  and  captured 
a  cannon;  but  there  he  beheld  the  ataman  of  the 
Umansky  kuren  and  Stepan  Guska  hard  at  work, 
having  already  seized  the  chief  cannon.     He  left 


^ARAS  BULBA  215 

[those  kazaks  there,  and  returned  with  his  own  to 
another  group  of  the  foe:  and  where  the  Neza- 
maikovtzi  went  there  was  a  street!  where  they 
wheeled  about  there  was  a  lane !  And  the  ranks 
were  visibly  thinning,  and  the  Lyakhs  were  falling 
in  sheaves!  And  right  beside  the  wagons  was 
Vovtuzenko,  and  In  front  Cherevlchenko,  and  by 
the  more  distant  one  Degtyarenko;  and  behind 
them  was  the  ataman  of  the  kuren,  Vertykvlst. 
Degtyarenko  already  had  raised  two  Lyakhs  upon 
his  spear,  and  was  now  attacking  the  third,  a  stub- 
born fellow.  Agile  and  strong  was  the  Lyakh, 
with  gorgeous  accoutrements,  and  he  was  accom- 
panied by  fifty  servitors.  He  fell  fiercely  upon 
Degtyarenko,  beat  him  to  the  ground  and,  flourish- 
ing his  sword  above  him,  cried,  "  There's  not  one 
of  you  kazak  dogs  who  would  dare  to  oppose  me !  " 
"  Here's  one !  "  said  Mosii  Shilo,  stepping  for- 
ward. He  was  a  muscular  kazak,  who  had  often 
served  as  ataman  on  the  sea,  and  had  undergone 
many  vicissitudes.  The  Turks  had  captured  him 
and  his  men  at  Treblzond,  and  thrown  them  all, 
captives,  Into  the  galleys;  they  bound  them  hand 
and  foot  with  iron  chains,  gave  them  no  millet  for 
a  week  at  a  time,  and  made  them  drink  the  repul- 
sive sea  water.  The  poor  prisoners  bore  and  suf- 
fered all  things,  if  only  they  might  not  be  forced  to 
renounce  their  Orthodox  Faith.     Ataman  Mosii 


2i6  TARAS  BULBA 

Shilo  could  not  endure  it:  he  trampled  under  foot 
the  Holy  Scriptures,  wound  a  vile  turban  about  his 
sinful  head,  won  the  confidence  of  a  Pasha,  be- 
came steward  on  a  ship,  and  ruler  over  all  the 
slaves.  The  poor  prisoners  sorrowed  greatly 
thereat,  for  they  knew  that  if  he  had  betrayed  his 
Faith  he  would  become  a  tyrant,  and  his  hand 
would  be  the  more  severe  and  heavy  on  them;  and 
so  it  turned  out.  Mosli  ShIlo  had  them  all  put  in 
new  chains,  three  in  a  row,  and  twisted  the  cruel 
cords  until  they  cut  clean  to  the  bone ;  and  he  beat 
them  upon  the  back  of  the  neck,  regaling  them 
with  cuffs  for  their  napes.  And  when  the  Turks 
rejoiced  at  having  obtained  such  a  servant,  and  be- 
gan to  carouse,  and,  forgetful  of  their  law,  all  got 
drunk,  he  distributed  all  the  sixty-four  keys  among 
the  prisoners,  in  order  that  they  might  free  them- 
selves, fling  their  chains  and  manacles  into  the  sea, 
and,  seizing  their  swords,  in  their  turn  slay  the 
Turks.  Then  did  the  kazaks  collect  great  booty, 
and  return  with  glory  to  their  country;  and  the 
bandura-players  glorified  Mosli  Shilo  for  a  very 
long  time.  The  men  would  have  elected  him 
Koshevoi,  but  he  was  a  very  peculiar  kazak.  At 
one  time  he  would  perform  some  feat  which  the 
most  sagacious  never  would  have  dreamed  of;  and 
at  another,  folly  simply  took  possession  of  him. 
He  drank  away  and  squandered  away  everything, 


m 


TARAS  BULBA  217 

was  in  debt  to  every  one  in  the  Syech,  and  stole  like 
a  common  street  thief,  to  boot.  He  carried  off  a 
complete  kazak  equipment  from  another  kuren,  by 
night,  and  pawned  it  to  a  dram-shop  keeper.  For 
this  dishonourable  act  they  bound  him  to  a  post  In 
the  bazaar,  and  laid  a  club  by  his  side,  so  that 
every  one,  according  to  the  measure  of  his 
strength,  might  deal  him  a  blow.  But  there  was 
not  one  Zaporozhetz  out  of  them  all  to  be  found 
who  would  raise  the  club  against  him,  remember- 
ing his  former  services.  Such  was  the  kazak, 
Mosii  Shilo. 

"  Here  are  some  who  will  kill  you,  you  dog!  " 
he  said,  springing  upon  him.  And  how  they 
hacked  away!  their  shoulder-plates  and  breast- 
plates bent  beneath  the  blows.  The  hostile  Lyakh 
cut  through  his  shirt  of  mail,  reaching  the  body 
itself  with  his  sharp  blade;  the  kazak's  shirt  was 
dyed  crimson;  but  Shilo  heeded  it  not,  flourished 
is  muscular  hand  (heavy  was  that  mighty  fist), 
nd  brought  it  down  unexpectedly  on  his  head. 
The  brazen  helmet  flew  off,  the  Lyakh  reeled  and 
ell;  but  Shilo  went  on  hacking  and  making 
crosses  on  the  stunned  man.  Kill  not  utterly  thine 
enemy,  kazak!  turn  back  rather!  The  kazak 
turned  not,  and  one  of  the  dead  man's  servitors 
plunged  a  knife  into  his  neck.  Shilo  turned,  and 
almost  succeeded  In  seizing  the  daring  man,  but  he 


2i8  TARAS  BULBA 

disappeared  amid  the  smoke  of  the  powder.  On 
all  sides  rose  the  clash  of  arquebuses.  Shilo 
reeled,  and  knew  that  his  wound  was  mortal.  He 
fell,  with  his  hand  upon  his  wound,  and  said,  turn- 
ing to  his  comrades :  "  Farewell,  sir  brothers,  my 
comrades  I  May  the  holy  Russian  land  stand  for- 
ever, and  may  It  have  eternal  honour  I  "  Then  he 
closed  his  failing  eyes,  and  the  kazak  soul  took 
flight  from  the  grim  body.  And  then  Zadorozhny 
came  forward  with  his  men,  Vertykhvist  broke 
the  ranks,  and  Balaban  stepped  forward. 

"  What  now,  noble  sirs?  '*  said  Taras,  calling  to 
the  atamans  by  name :  "  Is  there  yet  powder  In  the 
powder-flasks  ?  The  kazak  force  Is  not  weakened, 
is  It  ?     The  kazaks  do  not  yield  ?  " 

"  There  Is  yet  powder  In  the  flasks,  hatko;  the 
kazak  force  is  not  yet  weakened;  the  kazaks  do  not 
yield!" 

And  the  kazaks  pressed  vigorously  on :  the  ranks 
were  all  In  confusion.  The  little  colonel  had  the 
assembly  beaten,  and  ordered  eight  painted  stand- 
ards to  be  flung  out,  to  collect  his  men,  who 
were  scattered  far  over  all  the  plain.  All  the 
Lyakhs  hastened  to  the  standards.  But  they 
had  not  yet  succeeded  In  ranging  themselves  In 
order,  when  Ataman  Kukubenko  attacked  again 
with  his  Nezamalkovtzi,  In  their  centre,  and  fell 


I 


TARAS  BULB  A  219 

Straight  upon  the  big-bellied  colonel.  The  colonel 
could  not  withstand  the  attack  and,  wheeling  his 
horse  about,  set  out  at  a  gallop;  but  Kukubenko 
pursued  him  for  a  long  distance,  all  over  the  plain, 
and  prevented  him  from  joining  his  regiment. 

Perceiving  this  from  the  kuren  on  the  flank, 
Stepan  Guska  set  out  after  him,  lasso  in  hand, 
bending  his  head  to  his  horse's  neck,  and  taking  ad- 
vantage of  an  opportunity,  with  one  cast  he  landed 
the  lasso  about  his  neck:  the  colonel  turned  purple 
in  the  face,  grasped  the  cord  with  both  hands,  and 
tried  to  break  it;  but  a  powerful  blow  drove  a  lance 
through  his  body.  And  there  he  remained,  pinned 
to  the  earth.  But  things  turned  out  badly  for 
Guska  I  Before  the  kazaks  had  time  to  look  about 
them,  they  beheld  Stepan  Guska  elevated  on  four 
spears.  All  the  poor  fellow  succeeded  in  saying 
was,  "  May  all  our  enemies  perish,  and  may  the 
Russian  land  rejoice  forever  I  "  and  then  he  yielded 
up  his  spirit. 

The  kazaks  glanced  around,  and  there  was 
kazak  Meteltzya  on  one  side,  entertaining  the 
Lyakhs,  dealing  blows  on  the  head  to  one  and  an- 
other; and  on  the  other  side.  Ataman  Nevylychky 
was  attacking  with  his  men;  and  Zakrutybuga  was 
turning  and  slaying  the  foe  near  the  transports; 
and  the  third  Pisarenko  had  repulsed  a  whole 


220  TARAS  BULBA 

squadron  from  the  more  distant  wagons ;  and  they 
were  still  fighting  and  killing  round  the  other  wag- 
ons, and  even  upon  them. 

"  How  now,  noble  sirs !  "  cried  Ataman  Taras, 
stepping  forward  before  them  all:  *'  is  there  still 
powder  in  your  flasks?  Is  the  kazak  force  still 
strong?  do  not  the  kazaks  yield?  " 

"  There  is  still  powder  in  our  flasks,  batko;  the 
kazak  force  is  still  strong;  the  kazaks  do  not 
yield!" 

But  Bovdyug  had  already  toppled  off  one  of  the 
wagons ;  a  bullet  had  struck  him  straight  under  the 
heart.  The  old  man  collected  all  his  strength,  and 
said:  *'  I  sorrow  not  at  parting  with  this  world! 
God  grant  to  every  man  such  an  end !  May  the 
Russian  land  be  forever  glorious!  "  and  Bovdyug's 
spirit  soared  on  high,  to  tell  the  old  men  who  had 
gone  on  long  before  that  men  still  knew  how  to 
fight  on  Russian  soil,  and,  better  still,  that  they 
knew  how  to  die  for  it  and  for  the  holy  Faith. 

Balaban,  ataman  of  a  kuren,  soon  after  fell  to 
the  ground,  also  from  a  wagon.  Three  mortal 
wounds  had  he  received,  from  a  spear,  a  bullet, 
and  a  sword.  He  had  been  one  of  the  most 
valorous  of  the  kazaks,  and  had  accomplished  a 
great  deal  during  his  atamanship,  in  expeditions  on 
the  sea;  but  more  glorious  than  all  the  rest  was 
his  expedition  to  the  shores  of  Anatolia.     There 


I 


TARAS  BULB  A  221 


they  had  collected  many  sequins,  much  valuable 
Turkish  property,  kaftans  and  adornments  of 
every  description.  But  misfortune  awaited  them 
on  their  way  back:  the  gallant  fellows  fell  under 
the  fire  of  the  Turks.  How  they  caught  It  from 
the  ship !  Half  the  boats  were  crushed,  and  over- 
turned, drowning  many  a  one ;  but  the  reeds  bound 
to  the  sides  saved  the  boats  from  sinking.  Bala- 
ban  rowed  off  at  full  speed,  and  stood  straight  In 
the  face  of  the  sun,  thus  rendering  himself  Invisible 
to  the  Turkish  ship.  All  the  following  night  they 
spent  In  balling  out  the  water  with  scoops  and  their 
caps,  and  In  repairing  the  damaged  places.  They 
cut  sails  from  their  full  kazak  trousers  and,  sailing 
off,  escaped  from  the  very  swift  Turkish  vessel. 
And  not  only  did  they  arrive  unharmed  in  the 
Syech,  but  they  brought  a  gold-embroidered  vest- 
ment to  the  Archimandrite  ^  of  the  Mezhlgorsky 
Monastery  In  Kiev;  and  for  the  church  in  honour 
of  the  Intercession  of  the  Holy  Virgin,  which  is  in 
Zaporozhe,  an  ikona-frame  of  pure  silver.  And 
for  a  very  long  time  afterwards  did  the  bandura- 
players  celebrate  the  daring  of  the  kazaks.  Now 
he  bowed  his  head,  feeling  the  pains  which  precede 
death,  and  said  quietly:  ''It  seems  to  me,  sir 
brothers,  that  I  am  dying  a  fine  death.  Seven  have 
I  hewn  in  pieces,  nine  have  I  transfixed  with  my 

1  Abbot.    I.  F.  H. 


^22  TARAS  BULBA 

spear,  and  many  have  I  trampled  under  my  horse's 
hoofs;  and  I  no  longer  remember  how  many  my 
bullets  have  slain.  May  our  Russian  land  flourish 
forever!  "  and  his  spirit  fled. 

Kazaks,  kazaks !  surrender  not  the  flower  of 
your  army.  Already  was  Kukubenko  sur- 
rounded, and  seven  men  only  remained  out  of  all 
the  Nezamaikovsky  kuren,  and  these  had  already 
defended  themselves  beyond  their  strength;  their 
garments  were  already  stained  with  blood.  Taras 
himself,  perceiving  his  straits,  hastened  to  his 
rescue;  but  the  kazaks  arrived  too  late.  Before 
the  enemies  who  surrounded  him  could  be  driven 
off,  a  spear  was  buried  just  below  his  heart. 
Quietly  he  sank  Into  the  arms  of  the  kazaks  who 
grasped  him,  and  his  young  blood  flowed  In  a 
stream,  like  precious  wine  brought  from  the  cellar 
in  a  glass  vessel  by  careless  servants  who,  stumbling 
at  the  entrance,  break  the  rich  flask :  the  wine  pours 
over  the  ground,  and  the  master,  hastening  up, 
tears  his  hair,  having  reserved  It  for  the  best  occa- 
sion of  his  life,  in  order  that.  If  God  should  grant 
him,  in  his  old  age,  to  meet  again  the  comrade  of 
his  youth,  they  might  recall  together  days  gone  by, 
when  men  revelled  otherwise  and  better  than  now. 
Kukubenko  turned  his  eyes  about,  and  said,  "  I 
thank  God  that  it  has  been  my  lot  to  die  before 
your  eyes,  comrades.     May  those  who  come  after 


I 


TARAS  BULBA  223 


US  live  better  than  we  have  lived;  and  may  our 
Russian  land,  beloved  of  Christ,  flourish  for- 
ever! "  and  his  young  spirit  fled.  Angels  took  it, 
and,  supporting  it  by  the  arms,^  bore  it  to  heaven: 
there  it  will  be  well  with  him.  ^'  Sit  down  at  my 
right  hand,  Kukubenko,"  Christ  will  say  to  him: 
"  you  never  betrayed  your  comrades,  you  never 
committed  a  dishonourable  act,  you  never  sold  a 
man  into  misery,  you  preserved  and  defended  My 
Church!" 

The  death  of  Kukubenko  saddened  them  all. 
The  kazak  ranks  were  already  terribly  thinned; 
many  brave  men  were  missing,  but  the  kazaks  still 
held  their  ground. 

"  How  now,  sir  brothers!  "  cried  Taras  to  the 
remaining  kurens :  "  is  there  still  powder  in  your 
flasks?  Your  swords  ai*e  not  yet  dulled?  Are 
the  kazak  forces  weary?  Have  the  kazaks  given 
way?^' 

"  There  Is  still  plenty  of  powder,  hatko;  our 
swords  are  still  fit;  the  kazak  forces  are  not  weary, 
and  the  kazaks  have  not  yielded." 

And  again  the  kazaks  strained  every  nerve,  as 
though  they  had  suffered  no  losses  whatsoever. 
Only  three  kuren  atamans   still   remained   alive. 

^  Archbishops  and  Bishops  are  ceremonially  supported  by  a 
priest  or  an  acolyte  on  each  side,  who  hold  them  by  the  elbow 
when  ascending  steps  during  a  service.    I.  F.  H. 


224  TARAS  BULBA 

Their  red  blood  flowed  everywhere  in  crimson 
streams;  kazak  corpses,  and  those  of  the  enemy, 
were  piled  high  in  layers.  Taras  looked  up  to  the 
sky,  and  there,  already,  was  outstretched  a  long 
file  of  vultures.  Well,  there  will  be  booty  for  some 
one.  And  yonder  they  were  raising  Meteltzya  on 
their  spears  and  the  head  of  the  second  Pisa- 
renko,  as  it  went  spinning  round,  opened  and  shut 
its  eyes;  and  the  mangled  body  of  Okhrim  Guska 
broke  apart,  and  fell  upon  the  ground  in  four 
pieces.  "Now!  '*  said  Taras,  and  waved  a  ker- 
chief. Ostap  understood  the  signal,  and  dashing 
quickly  from  his  ambush,  attacked  sharply.  The 
Lyakhs  could  not  withstand  this  violent  onslaught; 
and  he  drove  them  back,  chasing  them  straight  to 
the  spot  where  the  stakes  and  fragments  of  spears 
were  embedded  in  the  earth.  The  horses  began 
to  stumble  and  fall,  and  the  Lyakhs  to  fly  over 
their  heads.  At  that  moment,  the  Korsuntzy, 
who  had  remained  until  the  last  behind  the  trans- 
port-wagons, perceived  that  they  still  had  some  bul- 
lets left,  and  suddenly  fired  off  their  arquebuses. 
The  Lyakhs  all  fell  into  confusion,  and  lost  their 
presence  of  mind;  and  the  kazaks  took  courage. 
"  Here's  our  victory  I  "  rang  out  kazak  voices  on 
all  sides;  the  trumpets  began  to  blare,  and  the 
standard  of  victory  was  unfurled.  The  defeated 
Lyakhs  dispersed  in  all  directions,  and  hid  them- 


TARAS  BULBA  225 

selves.  "  No,  the  victory  is  not  yet  complete !  " 
said  Taras,  glancing  at  the  city  gate ;  and  he  was 
right. 

The  gate  opened,  and  out  dashed  a  hussar  regi- 
ment, the  pride  of  all  the  cavalry  troops.  Every 
rider  was  mounted  on  a  matched  bay  race-horse 
from  Kabarda ;  in  front  of  the  rest  rode  the  hand- 
somest, the  most  heroic  warrior  of  them  all;  his 
black  locks  streamed  from  beneath  his  brazen 
helmet;  a  rich  scarf,  embroidered  by  the  hands  of 
a  peerless  beauty,  was  bound  about  his  arm. 
Taras  sprang  back  in  horror  when  he  saw  that  it 
was  Andrii.  And  he,  meanwhile,  enveloped  in 
the  dust  and  heat  of  battle,  anxious  to  deserve  the 
scarf  which  had  been  bound,  as  a  gift,  on  his  arm, 
flew  on  like  a  young  greyhound;  the  handsomest, 
swiftest  and  youngest  of  all  the  troop.  The  ex- 
perienced huntsman  halloos  on  the  greyhound, 
which  leaps  forward,  its  legs  cutting  a  straight  line 
in  the  air,  its  body  slanted  all  on  one  side,  tossing 
up  the  snow,  and  a  score  of  times  outrunning  the 
hare  in  the  ardour  of  the  course.  And  Andrii  was 
precisely  like  this.  Old  Taras  paused  and  ob- 
served how  he  cleared  a  path  before  him,  dispers- 
ing, hewing  and  distributing  blows  to  right  and 
left.  Taras  could  not  restrain  himself  from 
shouting,  "  What?  Your  own  comrades?  Your 
own  comrades!     You  deviFs  brat,  do  you  slay 


226  TARAS  BULBA 

your  own  comrades?'*     But  Andrii  did  not  dij 
tinguish  who  stood  before  him,  his  comrades  oi 
strangers :  he  saw  nothing.     Curls,  long,  long  curl 
were  what  he  saw;  and  a  bosom  like  that  of  a  river 
swan,  and  a  snowy  neck  and  shoulders,  and  all  that 
is  created  for  wild  kisses. 

"  Hey  there,  my  lads !  just  lure  him  to  the 
forest!  Entice  him  to  the  forest  for  me!" 
shouted  Taras.  And  Instantly  thirty  of  the 
smartest  kazaks  volunteered  to  entice  him  thither, 
and  settling  their  tall  caps  firmly,  they  spurred 
their  horses  straight  at  a  gap  in  the  hussars. 
They  attacked  the  front  ranks  from  the  flank,  beat 
them  down,  separated  them  from  the  rear  ranks, 
distributing  a  gift  to  one  and  another;  but  Golo- 
kopytenko  struck  Andrii  on  the  back  with  his 
sword,  and  then  immediately  rode  away  from  the 
hussars  at  the  top  of  his  speed.  How  furiously 
Andrii  raged !  How  his  young  blood  rebelled  in 
his  veins !  Driving  his  sharp  spurs  into  his  horse's 
flanks,  he  flew  at  top  speed  after  the  kazak,  never 
glancing  back  and  not  perceiving  that  only  twenty 
men,  at  most,  were  following  him;  but  the  kazaks 
fled  at  full  gallop,  and  directed  their  course 
straight  for  the  forest.  Andrii  overtook  them  and 
was  on  the  point  of  catching  Golokopytenko,  when 
a  powerful  hand  grasped  his  horse's  bridle. 
Andrii  looked :  before  him  stood  Taras !     He  be- 


f 


TARAS  BULBA  227 

gan  to  tremble  all  over,  and  suddenly  turned  pale, 
like  a  student  who  has  Incautiously  teased  his  com- 
rade to  excess,  and  receiving.  In  consequence,  a 
blow  on  the  forehead  with  a  ruler,  flushes  up  like 
fire,  springs  up  in  wrath  from  the  bench,  to  chase 
his  frightened  comrade,  prepared  to  tear  him  in 
pieces,  and  suddenly  encounters  his  teacher  enter- 
ing the  class-room:  in  an  Instant  his  wrathful  im- 
pulse calms  down,  and  his  futile  anger  vanishes. 
In  such  wise,  in  one  instant,  Andrii's  wrath  was  as 
though  it  had  never  existed.  And  he  beheld  noth- 
ing save  only  his  terrible  father,  standing  before 
him. 

"Well,  what  are  we  going  to  do  now?  "  said 
Taras,  looking  him  straight  in  the  eye.  But  An- 
drii  could  make  no  reply  to  this,  and  sat  there  with 
his  eyes  rivetted  on  the  ground. 

"  Well,  little  son !  Did  your  Lyakhs  help 
you?" 

Andrii  did  not  answer. 

"  You'll  be  such  a  traitor,  will  you?  You'll  be- 
tray your  Faith  in  this  fashion?  betray  your  com- 
rades? Hold  on,  there,  dismount  from  your 
horse!" 

Obedient  as  a  child,  he  dismounted,  and  stood 
before  Taras  more  dead  than  alive.  "  Stand  still, 
don't  move !  I  gave  you  life,  I  will  also  kill  you !  " 
said  Taras,  and,  retreating  a  pace,  he  brought  his 


r 


228  TARAS  BULBA 

gun  up  to  his  shoulder.  Andrii  was  white  as 
linen :  his  lips  could  be  seen  to  move  softly,  and  he 
uttered  a  name;  but  it  was  not  the  name  of  his 
native  land,  or  of  his  mother,  or  of  his  brethren; 
it  was  the  name  of  the  beautiful  Pole.  Taras 
fired. 

Like  an  ear  of  corn  cut  down  by  the  reaping- 
hook,  like  a  young  limb  when  it  feels  the  deadly 
steel  in  its  heart,  he  hung  his  head  and  rolled  upon 
the  grass  without  uttering  a  word. 

The  murderer  of  his  son  stood  and  gazed  long 
upon  the  lifeless  body.  Even  in  death  he  was  very 
handsome:  his  manly  face,  so  short  a  time  ago 
filled  with  power,  and  irresistible  charm  for  every 
woman,  still  breathed  forth  marvellous  beauty;  his 
black  brows,  like  sombre  velvet,  set  off  his  pale 
features. 

"  In  what  way  wasn't  he  a  genuine  kazak?  " 
said  Taras:  "he's  tall  of  stature,  and  black- 
browed,  and  his  face  is  that  of  a  nobleman,  and 
his  hand  was  strong  in  battle!  He  has  fallen, 
fallen  ingloriously,  like  a  vile  dog !  " 

"Father,  what  have  you  done?  Was  it  you 
who  killed  him?"  said  Ostap,  riding  up  at  this 
moment. 

Taras  nodded. 

Ostap  gazed  intently  at  the  dead  man.  He  felt 
sorry  for  his  brother,  and  said,  at  once:     "  Let's 


I^Po 


TARAS  BULBA  229 


s: 

t 


give  him  an  honourable  burial,  Father,  that  the  foe 
may  not  dishonour  his  body,  nor  the  birds  of  prey 
rend  It." 

*'  They'll  bury  him  without  any  help  from  us!  " 
said  Taras:  "  there'll  be  plenty  of  mourners  and 
comforters  for  him !  " 

And  he  reflected  for  a  couple  of  minutes :  should 
e  fling  him  to  the  fierce  wolves  for  their  prey,  or 
respect  in  him  the  knightly  valour  which  every 
brave  man  is  bound  to  honour  in  another,  no  mat- 
ter who  the  man  may  be?  Then  he  espied  Golo- 
kopytenko  galloping  towards  them :  *'  Disaster, 
ataman !  the  Lyakhs  have  been  reinforced,  a  fresh 
force  has  come  to  their  rescue !  "  Golokopytenko 
had  not  finished  speaking  when  Vovtuzenko  dashed 
up :  "  Disaster,  ataman !  a  fresh  force  is  bearing 
down  upon  us!  " 

Vovtuzenko  had  not  finished  speaking  when 
Pisarenko  rushed  up  without  his  horse :  *'  Where 
are  you,  hatko?  The  kazaks  are  looking  for  you. 
Ataman  Nevylychky  is  killed,  Zadorozhny  is 
killed,  and  so  is  Cherevlchenko :  but  the  kazaks  are 
still  standing  their  ground;  they  do  not  wish  to  die 
without  having  seen  you;  they  want  you  to  gaze 
upon  them  once  more  before  the  hour  of  death 
arrives !  " 

**  To  horse,  Ostap  I  "  said  Taras,  and  hastened 
in  search  of  his  kazaks,  to  look  once  more  upon 


230  TARAS  BULBA 

them,  and  let  them  once  more  behold  their  ataman 
before  the  hour  of  death.  But  before  they  could 
emerge  from  the  forest,  the  enemy's  forces  had 
already  surrounded  it  on  all  sides,  and  horsemen 
armed  with  swords  and  spears  appeared  every- 
where among  the  trees.  "  Ostap,  Ostap !  don't 
surrender!"  shouted  Taras,  and  grasping  his 
naked  sword,  he  began  to  cut  down  all  he  encoun- 
tered on  every  side.  But  six  had  already  sprung 
upon  Ostap.  ('Twas  an  unpropitious  hour  for 
them!  the  head  of  one  flew  off,  another  toppled 
over,  a  spear  pierced  the  ribs  of  a  third;  a  fourth, 
more  bold,  bent  his  head  to  escape  from  a  bullet, 
and  the  hot  bullet  struck  his  horse  in  the  breast ;  — 
the  maddened  animal  reared,  fell  back  upon  the 
earth,  and  crushed  his  rider  under  him.)  "  Well 
done,  son!  Well  done,  Ostap!  "  shouted  Taras: 
*'  I'm  following  you !  "  And  he  beat  off  all  who 
attacked  him.  Taras  hewed  and  fought,  dealing 
blows  upon  the  head  of  one  after  another,  still 
keeping  his  eye  upon  Ostap  ahead  of  him;  and  he 
saw  that  eight  more  were  falling  upon  Ostap. 
*'  Ostap,  Ostap !  don't  surrender !  "  But  already 
they  had  overpowered  Ostap;  one  had  flung  his 
lasso  around  his  neck,  and  they  had  bound  him, 
and  were  carrying  him  away.  "  Hey,  Ostap, 
Ostap !  "  shouted  Taras,  forcing  his  way  to  him, 
and  cutting  down  men,  as  though  they  had  been 


I 


TARAS  BULB  A  231 


cabbages,  to  right  and  left.  "  Hey,  Ostap, 
Ostap !  "  But  at  that  moment  something  struck 
him  like  a  heavy  stone :  everything  grew  dim  and 
confused  before  his  eyes.  For  a  moment  there 
flashed  before  him  confusedly  heads,  spears, 
smoke,  flashes  of  fire,  tree-stumps  with  their  leaves. 
And  he  sank  heavily  to  the  earth,  like  a  felled  oak. 
And  darkness  covered  his  eyes. 


CHAPTER  TEN 


X 

'"^  "V  TELL,  IVe  had  a  long  sleep!"  said 
%/%/     Taras,  coming  to  his  senses  as  if  after 
'    ^       a  heavy,  drunken  slumber,  and  trying 
fo  distinguish  the  objects  about  him.     A  terrible 
weakness  overpowered  his  limbs.     The  walls  and 
:orners  of  a  strange  room  appeared  dimly  to  his 
^ision.     At  last  he  perceived  Tovkach  seated  be- 
Fore  him,  apparently  listening  to  his  every  breath. 
'  Yes,"   thought  Tovkach,    "  you   might   have 
slept  forever."     But  he  said  nothing,  shook  his 
finger  and  motioned  Taras  to  keep  quiet. 

"  But  tell  me,  where  am  I  now?  "  asked  Taras, 
straining  his  mind,  and  endeavouring  to  recollect 
what  had  happened. 

"  Hold  your  tongue !  "  cried  his  companion 
roughly.  "Why  should  you  want  to  know? 
Don't  you  see  that  youVe  all  hacked  to  pieces? 
Here  I've  been  galloping  with  you  for  two  weeks, 
without  stopping  to  take  breath;  and  all  the  while 
you've  been  burning  up  with  fever,  and  jabbering 
nonsense.  This  is  the  first  time  you've  slept 
quietly.  Be  silent,  if  you  don't  wish  to  do  your- 
self an  injury!  " 

23$ 


236  TARAS  BULBA 

But  Taras  still  strove  to  collect  his  thoughts, 
and  to  recall  what  had  taken  place.  "  Well,  but 
the  Lyakhs  must  have  surrounded  me  completely, 
and  captured  me  ?  I  hadn't  a  chance  to  fight  my- 
self free  from  the  mob?  " 

"  Hold  your  tongue !  I  tell  you,  you  devil's 
brat!"  shouted  Tovkach  angrily,  as  a  nurse, 
driven  beyond  her  patience,  cries  out  at  her 
naughty,  fractious  young  charge.  "  What  good 
will  it  do  you  to  know  how  you  got  away?  It's 
enough  that  you  did  get  away.  Some  people  were 
found  who  didn't  betray  you.  That's  enough  for 
you  to  know!  You  and  I  must  still  gallop  on 
together  for  many  a  night!  Think  you  that  you 
are  accounted  a  common  kazak?  No,  they  have 
offered  a  reward  of  two  thousand  ducats  for  your 
head." 

"  And  Ostap !  "  cried  Taras  suddenly,  making  a 
tremendous  effort  to  rise ;  and  then,  all  at  once,  he 
recollected  that  Ostap  had  been  seized  and  bound 
before  his  very  eyes,  and  that  he  was  now  in  the 
hands  of  the  Lyakhs.  And  grief  overpowered 
his  aged  head.  He  tugged  at  his  bandages,  and 
tore  them  all  from  his  wounds ;  he  threw  them  far 
from  him ;  he  tried  to  say  something  aloud  —  and 
uttered  something  incoherent.  Fever  and  de- 
lirium took  possession  of  him  afresh,  and  he  chat- 
tered foolish  speeches,  devoid  of  rhyme  ox  reason, 


TARAS  BULBA  237 

Meanwhile  his  faithful  comrade  stood  before 
him  cursing  and  showering  harsh,  reproachful 
words  upon  him,  without  stint.  Finally  he  seized 
him  by  the  arms  and  legs,  swaddled  him  like  a 
baby,  replaced  all  his  bandages,  rolled  him  up  in 
an  ox-hide,  bound  him  with  linden-bast,  and  fasten- 
mg  him  with  ropes  to  his  saddle,  dashed  off  with 
him  again,  at  full  speed,  along  the  road. 

"  I'll  get  you  there,  even  if  not  ahve !  I'll  not 
abandon  you  for  the  Lyakhs  to  make  mock  at  your 
kazak  race,  and  rend  your  body  in  twain,  and  fling 
it  Into  the  water.  Let  the  eagles  claw  your  eyes 
from  your  brow,  if  so  it  must  be ;  but  let  it  be  our 
own  eagle  of  the  steppe,  and  not  a  Polish  eagle, 
not  one  which  has  flown  hither  from  Polish  soil. 
I'll  bring  you,  though  it  be  a  corpse,  to  the 
UkralnaP' 

Thus  spoke  his  faithful  comrade.  He  galloped 
on,  without  drawing  breath,  day  and  night,  and 
brought  him,  insensible,  into  the  Zaporozhlan 
Syech  Itself.  There  he  undertook  to  heal  him, 
with  unwearied  care,  with  herbs  and  liniments. 
He  sought  out  a  skilful  Jewess:  she  made  Taras 
drink  various  potions  for  a  whole  month,  and  at 
last  he  began  to  improve.  Whether  It  was  owing 
to  the  medicine,  or  to  his  Iron  constitution  gaining 
the  upper  hand,  at  any  rate,  in  six  weeks  he  was  on 
his  feet  again;  his  wounds  had  closed,  and  only  the 


238  TARAS  BULBA 

scars  of  the  sabre-cuts  showed  how  seriously  In- 
jured the  old  kazak  had  been.  But  he  had  be- 
come markedly  sad  and  morose.  Three  deep 
wrinkles  had  engraved  themselves  upon  his  brow, 
and  never  more  departed  thence.  Then  he  looked 
about  him:  all  was  new  in  the  Syech;  all  his  old 
comrades  were  dead.  Not  one  was  left  of  those 
who  had  defended  the  right,  the  Faith,  and 
brotherhood.  And  as  for  those  who  had  fared 
forth  with  the  Koshevoi  in  pursuit  of  the  Tatars, 
they,  also,  had  died  long  since:  all  had  laid  down 
their  heads :  all  had  perished.  One  had  lost  his 
honourable  head  In  battle,  another  had  died  for 
lack  of  bread  and  water,  amid  the  salt  marshes  of 
the  Crimea;  another  had  disappeared  in  captivity, 
unable  to  endure  the  disgrace,  and  even  their  for- 
mer Koshevoi  was  long  since  dead,  and  so  were  all 
old  comrades,  and  the  seething  kazak  power  was 
overgrown  with  grass.  He  heard  only  that  there 
had  been  a  feast,  a  noisy,  strenuous  feast.  All  the 
dishes  had  been  smashed  to  bits:  not  a  drop  of 
liquor  was  left  anywhere;  the  guests  and  servants 
had  stolen  all  the  valuable  cups  and  platters, — 
and  the  master  of  the  house  stood  sadly  thinking 
that  It  would  have  been  better  had  there  been  no 
feast.  In  vain  did  they  try  to  cheer  Taras,  and  to 
divert  his  mind;  in  vain  did  the  long-bearded,  grey- 
haired  bandura-players,  passing  by  in  twos  and 


TARAS  BULBA  239 

threes,  glorify  his  kazak  deeds.  He  gazed  grimly 
and  Indifferently  at  everything,  and  on  his  stolid 
face  sorrow  unquenchable  stood  forth ;  and  he  said 
softly,  "  My  son,  my  Ostap !  " 

The  Zaporozhtzi  assembled  for  an  expedition 
by  sea.  Two  hundred  boats  were  launched  on  the 
Dnyeper,  and  Asia  Minor  saw  the  kazaks,  with 
their  shaven  heads  and  long  scalp-locks,  devote  her 
thriving  shores  to  fire  and  sword;  she  saw  the  tur- 
bans of  her  Mahometan  inhabitants  strewn,  like 
her  innumerable  flowers,  over  the  blood-be- 
sprinkled fields,  and  floating  along  her  banks. 
She  beheld  many  tarry  Zaporozhian  trousers,  and 
muscular  hands  with  black  hunting-whips.  The 
Zaporozhtzi  ate  up  and  laid  waste  all  their  vine- 
yard. In  her  mosques  they  left  heaps  of  dung. 
They  used  rich  Persian  shawls  for  trouser-belts, 
and  girded  their  dirty  doublets  with  them.  For  a 
long  time  afterwards  short  Zaporozhian  pipes 
were  found  in  those  regions.  Then  they  sailed 
merrily  homeward  again.  A  ten-gun  Turkish  ves- 
sel pursued  them  and  scattered  their  fragile  skiffs 
like  birds,  with  a  volley  from  its  guns.  A  third 
part  of  them  sank  In  the  depths  of  the  sea ;  but  the 
rest  assembled  again,  and  gained  the  mouth  of  the 
Dnyeper  with  twelve  kegs  full  of  sequins.  But  all 
this  had  no  interest  for  Taras.  He  went  off  upon 
the  fields  and  the  steppe  as  though  to  hunt ;  but  the 


240  TARAS  BULBA 

charge  remained  unfired,  in  his  gun,  and,  laying 
down  the  weapon,  he  sat  sadly  on  the  seashore. 
He  sat  there  long,  with  drooping  head,  repeating 
continually,  ''My  Ostap,  my  Ostap!"  Before 
him  spread  the  gleaming  Black  Sea;  In  the  distant 
reeds  the  sea-gulls  screamed.  His  grey  moustache 
turned  to  silver,  and  the  tears  chased  one  another 
down  his  cheeks. 

At  last  Taras  could  endure  It  no  longer. 
"  Whatever  happens,  I  must  go  and  find  out  what 
he  Is  doing.  Is  he  alive,  or  in  the  grave  ?  or  Is  he 
not  yet  In  the  grave?  Know  I  will,  cost  what  It 
may!  "  And  within  a  week  he  was  In  the  town  of 
Uman,  mounted,  fully  armed  with  spear,  sword,  a 
flat  travelling-cask  at  his  saddle-bow,  his  pot  of 
oatmeal,  his  cartridges,  cord  to  hobble  his  horse, 
and  other  accoutrements.  He  rode  straight  to  a 
dirty,  bedaubed  little  house,  whose  tiny  windows 
were  almost  Invisible,  blackened  as  they  were  with 
some  unknown  dirt;  the  chimney  was  plugged  with 
a  rag;  and  the  roof,  which  was  full  of  holes,  was 
covered  with  sparrows;  a  heap  of  all  sorts  of 
refuse  lay  before  the  very  door.  From  the  win- 
dow peered  the  head  of  a  Jewess,  in  a  headdress 
with  discoloured  pearls. 

"  Is  your  husband  at  home  ?  "  asked  Bulba,  dis- 
mounting, and  fastening  his  horse's  bridle  to  an 
iron  hook  beside  the  door. 


TARAS  BULBA  241 

"  Yes,"  said  the  Jewess,  and  hastened  out  im- 
mediately with  a  little  trough  of  wheat  for  the 
horse,  and  a  stoup  of  beer  for  the  rider, 

"Where's  your  Jew?" 

"  In  the  other  room,  at  prayer,"  replied  the 
Jewess,  bowing  and  wishing  Bulba  good  health, 
as  he  raised  the  drinking-cup  to  his  lips. 

*'  Remain  here  and  feed  and  water  my  horse, 
and  I'll  go  and  speak  with  him  alone.  I  have  busi- 
ness with  him." 

This  Jew  was  that  Yankel,  already  known  to 
us.  He  was  there  as  a  revenue-farmer  and  dram- 
shop keeper.  He  had  gradually  got  all  the  neigh- 
bouring noblemen  and  gentry  into  his  clutches,  had 
slowly  sucked  away  most  of  their  money,  had  made 
his  presence  severely  felt  in  that  region.  For  a 
distance  of  three  miles  In  every  direction  not  a 
single  cottage  remained  in  a  proper  condition. 
All  were  falling  in  ruins;  all  had  been  drunk  away, 
and  rags  and  poverty  alone  remained;  the  whole 
neighbourhood  was  devastated  as  if  after  a  fire  or 
an  epidemic.  And  if  Yankel  had  lived  there  ten 
years,  he  would,  probably,  have  depopulated  the 
Voevod's  entire  domain. 

Taras  entered  the  room.  The  Jew  was  praying, 
wrapped  In  his  dirty  scarf,  and  was  turning  to  spit 
for  the  last  time.  In  accordance  with  the  forms  of 
his  creed,  when  his  eye  suddenly  alighted  upon 


242  TARAS  BULBA 

Taras  standing  behind  him.  And  the  very  firsi 
thing  of  all,  which  struck  the  Jew  full  in  the  facej' 
was  the  recollection  of  the  two  thousand  ducats 
offered  for  his  head;  but  he  was  ashamed  of  his 
avarice,  and  tried  to  stifle  within  him  the  eternal 
thought  of  gold^  which  twines  like_a_WQrm  about 
the  soul  of  a  Jew. 

^^Tiearken  to  me,  Yankel!  "  said  Taras  to  the 
Jew,  who  began  to  bow  low  before  him,  and  he 
shut  the  door  so  that  they  might  not  be  seen.  "  I 
saved  your  life:  the  Zaporozhtzi  were  ready  to 
tear  you  in  pieces,  like  a  dog.  Now  it's  your  turn 
to  do  me  a  service." 

The  Jew's  face  contracted  a  bit. 

"  What  service?  If  it's  a  service  I  can  render, 
why  not  render  it?  " 

"  Don't  give  me  any  talk!  Take  me  to  War- 
saw." 

"To  Warsaw?  Why  to  Warsaw?"  said  the 
Jew,  and  his  brows  and  shoulders  rose  in  amaze- 
ment. 

"  Don't  answer  back.  Take  me  to  Warsaw.  I 
must  see  him  once  more,  at  any  cost,  and  say  at 
least  one  word  to  him." 

*'  Say  a  word  to  whom?  " 

"  To  him  —  to  Ostap  —  to  my  son." 

**  Has  not  the  noble  lord  heard  that  already  — " 


TARAS  BULBA  243 

"  I  know,  I  know  all:  they  offer  two  thousand 
ducats  for  my  head.  They  know  its  value,  the 
fools !  I'll  give  you  five  thousand.  Here  are  two 
thousand  on  the  spot"  (Bulba  poured  out  two 
thousand  ducats  from  a  leather  bag),  **  and  the 
rest  you  shall  have  when  I  return." 

The  Jew  instantly  seized  a  towel  and  concealed 
the  ducats  under  it.  "  Ai',  glorious  money !  AT, 
good  money!  "  he  said,  twirling  one  of  the  gold 
pieces  in  his  hand,  and  testing  it  with  his  teeth. 
*'  I  don't  believe  the  man  from  whom  the  noble 
lord  stole  these  fine  gold  pieces  remained  in  the 
world  an  hour  longer;  he  went  straight  to  the  river 
and  drowned  himself  after  the  loss  of  such  mag- 
nificent pieces. 

**  I  wouldn't  have  asked  you ;  I  might,  possibly, 
have  found  my  own  way  to  Warsaw,  but  some  one 
might  recognise  me,  and  then  the  cursed  Lyakhs 
would  capture  me,  for  I'm  not  clever  at  making 
up  plausible  stories;  but  that's  just  what  you  Jews 
are  created  for.  You'd  deceive  the  very  Devil: 
you  know  all  the  tricks ;  that's  why  I  have  come  to 
you !  And,  besides,  I  couldn't  accomplish  any- 
thing in  Warsaw  by  myself.  Harness  up  your 
cart  instantly,  and  drive  me  to  Warsaw." 

"  And  does  the  noble  lord  think  that  I  can  take 
the  mare  so,  out  of  hand,  and  harness  her,  and  — 


244  TARAS  BULBA 

*  Get  up,  Dapple  '  ?     Does  the  noble  lord  think 
that  I  can  take  the  noble  lord  just  as  he  Is,  without  ; 
hiding  him?  '* 

"  Well,  hide  me,  then,  hide  me  any  way  you  like : 
how  would  a  powder-cask  answer?  '* 

"  Ai,  ai !  and  the  noble  lord  thinks,  perhaps,  that 
he  can  be  concealed  In  a  powder-cask?  Doesn't 
the  noble  lord  know  that  every  man  thinks  every 
cask  contains  corn-brandy?  " 

"  Well,  let  'em  think  it's  brandy!  " 

"What!  Let  them  think  It's  brandy?"  said 
the  Jew,  grasping  his  earlocks  with  both  hands, 
then  throwing  up  his  arms. 

*'  Well,  and  why  are  you  so  frightened?  " 

"  And  doesn't  the  noble  lord  know  that  God  has 
made  brandy  expressly  for  every  one  to  taste? 
They're  all  gluttons  and  fond  of  dainties  there :  a 
Polish  noble  will  run  five  versts  after  a  cask;  he'll 
bore  a  hole,  and  as  soon  as  he  sees  that  nothing 
runs  out,  he'll  say,  *  The  Jew  Isn't  carrying  a 
powder-cask;  there's  certainly  something  wrong 
here !  Seize  the  Jew,  bind  the  Jew,  take  away  all 
the  Jew's  money ;  put  the  Jew  in  prison !  '  Because 
everything  that  Is  evil  is  blamed  on  the  Jew,  and 
every  one  takes  a  Jew  for  a  dog;  and  they  think 
he's  not  a  man,  because  he's  a  Jew." 

"  Then  lay  me  In  the  wagon  with  a  load  of  fish." 

"  It  can't  be  done,  noble  sir,  it  can't  be  done :  all 


TARAS  BULBA  245 

over  Poland  the  people  are  as  hungry  as  dogs  now. 
They'll  steal  the  fish,  and  feel  the  noble  lord." 

"  Then  take  me  In  any  devirs  way  you  like,  only 
take  me/* 

*'  Listen,  listen,  noble  sir!  "  said  the  Jew,  strip- 
ping up  the  cuffs  of  his  sleeves,  and  approaching 
him  with  arms  outstretched.  "  This  Is  what  we'll 
do. — ^  They're  building  fortresses  and  castles 
everywhere :  French  engineers  have  come  from 
Germany,  and  so  a  great  deal  of  brick  and  stone  is 
being  carted  over  the  highways.  Let  the  noble 
lord  lie  down  in  the  bottom  of  the  wagon,  and  over 
him  I  will  pile  bricks.  The  noble  lord  is  strong 
and  well,  apparently,  so  he  will  not  mind  if  it  is  a 
little  heavy;  and  I  will  make  a  hole  in  the  bottom 
of  the  wagon,  so  that  I  can  feed  the  noble  lord." 

"  Do  what  you  will,  only  take  me !  " 

And  in  an  hour,  a  wagon-load  of  bricks  left 
Uman,  drawn  by  two  sorry  nags.  On  one  of  them 
sat  tall  Yankel;  and  his  long,  curling  earlocks 
fluttered  from  beneath  his  Jewish  cap  of  felt,  as, 
long  as  a  verst-post  planted  by  the  roadside,  he 
bounced  about  on  the  horse. 


CHAPTER  ELEVEN 


XI 

AT  the  time  when  the  above-described  inci- 
dents took  place,  there  were,  as  yet,  in  the 
frontier  settlements,  no  custom-house 
officials  and  guards, —  those  terrible  menaces  to 
enterprising  people, —  therefore,  any  one  could 
bring  across  anything  he  liked.  If  any  one  made 
any  search  or  inspection,  he  did  It  chiefly  for  his 
own  pleasure,  especially  if  there  happened  to  be  In 
the  wagon  objects  attractive  to  the  eye,  and  if  his 
own  hand  possessed  a  certain  weight  and  power. 
But  the  bricks  found  no  admirers,  and  they  entered 
the  principal  gate  of  the  city  unmolested.  Bulba, 
in  his  narrow  cage,  could  only  hear  the  noise,  the 
shouts  of  the  drivers,  and  nothing  more.  Yankel, 
bouncing  away  on  his  short,  dust-covered  trotter, 
turned,  after  taking  several  circuitous  bends,  into  a 
dark,  narrow  street  bearing  the  name  of  "  The 
Muddy  "  and  also  of  "  the  Jews'  Street,"  because, 
as  a  matter  of  fact,  Jews  from  nearly  every  quarter 
of  Warsaw  were  to  be  found  there.  This  street 
greatly  resembled  a  back-yard  turned  wrongside 
out.  The  sun,  apparently,  never  shone  in  there. 
The  totally  black  wooden  houses,  with  Innumerable 

249 


250  TARAS  BULBA 

poles  projecting  from  the  windows,  still  further 
increased  the  gloom.  Rarely  did  the  brick  wall 
gleam  red  among  them ;  for  it  also,  in  many  places, 
had  turned  quite  black.  Here  and  there,  high  up, 
a  bit  of  stuccoed  wall  lighted  by  the  sun,  shone 
with  a  whiteness  intolerable  to  the  eye.  Every- 
thing there  was  extremely  harsh ;  pipes,  rags,  shells, 
broken  and  discarded  tubs.  Every  one  flung  into 
the  street  whatever  was  useless  to  him,  thus  afford- 
ing the  passer-by  an  opportunity  to  regale  all  his 
senses  with  the  rubbish.  A  man  on  horseback 
could  almost  touch  with  his  hand  the  poles  thrown 
across  the  street  from  one  house  to  another,  upon 
which  hung  Jewish  stockings,  short  trousers,  and 
smoked  geese.  Sometimes  the  rather  pretty  face 
of  a  Jewess,  adorned  with  blackened  pearls, 
peeped  out  of  an  ancient  window.  A  mob  of  Jew 
urchins,  with  torn  and  dirty  garments  and  curly 
hair,  screamed  and  rolled  about  in  the  mud.  A 
red-haired  Jew,  with  freckles  all  over  his  face, 
which  made  him  look  like  a  sparrow's  egg,  was 
gazing  out  of  a  window;  he  instantly  accosted 
Yankel  in  his  unintelligible  jargon,  and  Yankel  im- 
mediately drove  into  the  court-yard.  Another 
Jew,  who  was  coming  along  the  street,  halted  and 
entered  into  conversation,  and  when  Bulba,  at  last, 
emerged  from  beneath  the  bricks,  he  beheld  these 
three  Jews  talking  with  great  heat. 


TARAS  BULBA  251 

Yankel  turned  to  him,  and  said  that  everything 
would  be  done;  that  his  Ostap  was  In  the  city  jail, 
and  that,  although  It  would  be  difficult  to  persuade 
the  jailer,  yet  he  hoped  to  arrange  a  meeting. 

Bulba  entered  the  room  with  the  three  Jews. 

The  Jews  again  began  to  talk  among  them- 
selves, in  their  incomprehensible  language. 
Taras  took  a  good  look  at  each  of  them.  Some- 
thing seemed  to  have  affected  him  deeply;  on  his 
rough  and  stolid  countenance  a  consuming  flame  of 
hope  flashed  up,  of  hope  such  as  sometimes  visits  a 
man  in  the  lowest  depths  of  despair;  his  aged 
heart  began  to  beat  violently,  as  though  he  were 
a  youth. 

"Hearken,  Jews  I"  said  he,  and  there  was  a 
ring  of  triumph  in  his  words.  "  You  can  do  any- 
thing In  the  world,  even  to  extracting  things  from 
the  bottom  of  the  sea ;  and  it  has  long  since  passed 
into  a  proverb  that  a  Jew  will  steal  from  himself, 
if  he  takes  a  fancy  to  steal.  Set  my  Ostap  at  lib- 
erty! Give  him  a  chance  to  escape  from  their 
diabolical  hands.  I  have  promised  this  man  hve 
thousand  ducats, —  I  add  another  five  thousand; 
all  that  I  have  in  the  way  of  precious  cups,  burled 
gold,  my  houses,  all,  even  to  my  last  garment,  I 
will  sell;  and  I  will  enter  Into  a  contract  with  you 
for  my  whole  life,  to  share  with  you,  half  and  half, 
all  the  booty  I  may  win  in  war." 


252  TARAS  BULBA 

"  O,  It  can't  be  done,  dear  noble  lord,  it's  Impos- 
sible!" "No,  it  can't  be  done  I"  chimed  in 
another  Jew. 

The  three  Jews  exchanged  glances. 

"  We  might  try,"  said  the  third,  with  a  timid 
glance  at  the  other  two.  *'  Perhaps  God  will  fa- 
vour us." 

All  three  Jews  began  to  talk  in  German.  Strain 
his  ears  as  he  might,  Bulba  could  make  nothing  of 
It:  he  only  caught  the  word  "  Mardokhal  "  often 
repeated,  nothing  more. 

"  Listen,  noble  lord,"  said  Yankel.  "  We  must 
consult  with  a  man  such  as  there  never  was  before 
in  all  the  world  ...  I  as  wise  as  Solomon  he  Is; 
and  If  he  will  do  nothing,  then  no  one  in  the  world 
can  do  anything.  Sit  here :  this  Is  the  key ;  admit 
no  one  I  "  Thereupon  the  Jews  went  out  Into  the 
street. 

Taras  locked  the  door,  and  gazed  from  the  tiny 
window  upon  the  dirty  Jewish  prospect.  The 
three  Jews  halted  In  the  middle  of  the  street,  and 
began  to  talk  with  a  good  deal  of  warmth :  a  fourth 
soon  joined  them,  and,  finally,  a  fifth.  Again  he 
heard  repeated,  "  Mardokhal,  Mardokhal  I " 
The  Jews  kept  glancing  Incessantly  towards  one 
side  of  the  street;  at  last,  at  the  end  of  It,  from  be- 
hind a  dirty  house,  there  emerged  a  foot  in  a  Jew- 
ish shoe,  and  there  was  a  brief  glimpse  of  the  flut- 


TARAS  BULBA  253 

tering  skirts  of  a  half-kaftan. — "  Ah !  Mardokhal, 
Mardokhai !  "  exclaimed  the  Jews  with  one  voice. 
A  gaunt  Jew,  somewhat  shorter  than  Yankel,  but 
even  more  wrinkled,  and  with  a  huge  upper  lip, 
approached  the  impatient  group ;  and  all  the  Jews 
made  haste,  even  interrupting  one  another,  to  talk 
to  him.  During  the  recital,  Mardokhal  cast  sev- 
eral glances  towards  the  little  window,  and  Taras 
divined  that  the  conversation  concerned  him. 

Mardokhai  waved  his  hands,  listened,  inter- 
rupted, spat  frequently  to  one  side,  and,  pulling 
up  the  skirts  of  his  half-kaftan,  thrust  his  hand  into 
his  pocket  and  drew  out  some  jingling  object, 
showing  his  very  dirty  trousers  in  the  operation. 
Finally,  all  the  Jews  set  up  such  a  shout,  that  the 
Jew  who  was  standing  on  guard  was  forced  to 
make  a  signal  for  silence,  and  Taras  began  to 
fear  for  his  own  safety;  but  when  he  remembered 
that  Jews  cannot  consult  anywhere  except  in  the 
street,  and  that  the  demon  himself  cannot  under- 
stand their  language,  he  regained  his  composure. 

Two  minutes  later  the  Jews  all  entered  the  room 
together.  Mardokhai  approached  Taras,  tapped 
him  on  the  shoulder,  and  said:  "  When  we  wish 
to  act,  then  things  will  be  as  they  should."  Taras 
looked  at  this  Solomon  such  as  the  world  had  never 
known,  and  conceived  some  hope :  in  fact,  his  face 
might  well  inspire  some  confidence:  his  upper  lip 


254  TARAS  BULBA 

was  simply  an  object  of  horror;  Its  thickness  had 
doubtless  been  increased  by  adventitious  circum- 
stances. The  beard  of  this  Solomon  consisted  of 
only  about  fifteen  hairs,  and  they  were  all  on  the 
left  side.  Solomon's  face  bore  so  many  scars  of 
battle,  received  for  his  audacity,  that  he  had,  no 
doubt,  lost  count  of  them  long  before,  and  grown 
accustomed  to  regarding  them  as  birthmarks. 

Mardokhai  departed,  accompanied  by  his  com- 
rades, who  were  filled  with  admiration  for  his  wis- 
dom. Bulba  was  left  alone.  He  was  in  a 
strange,  unaccustomed  situation;  for  the  first  time 
In  his  life,  he  felt  uneasy.  His  soul  was  In  a  state 
of  fever.  He  was  no  longer  the  man  he  had  been, 
unbending,  Immovable,  strong  as  an  oak;  he  was 
faint-hearted  now;  now  he  was  weak.  He 
trembled  at  every  sound,  at  every  new  Jewish 
figure  which  showed  Itself  at  the  end  of  the  street. 
In  this  condition  he  spent  the  whole  day;  he  neither 
ate  nor  drank,  and  his  eye  never,  for  a  single  mo- 
ment, quitted  the  tiny  window  which  looked  out  on 
the  street.  Finally,  late  at  night,  Mardokhai  and 
Yankel  made  their  appearance.  Taras's  heart 
died  within  him. 

*'  What  news?  Are  you  successful?  "  he  asked, 
with  the  restiveness  of  a  wild  horse. 

But  before  the  Jews  had  recovered  breath  to 
answer,    Taras    perceived    that    Mardokhai    no 


TARAS  BULBA  255 

longer  had  his  last  lock,  which,  although  very 
greasy,  had  fallen  In  rings  from  beneath  his  felt 
cap.  It  was  evident  that  he  wished  to  say  some- 
thing, but  he  began  by  uttering  such  nonsense  that 
Taras  understood  nothing  of  it.  And  Yankel 
himself  put  his  hand  very  often  to  his  mouth,  as 
though  suffering  from  a  cold. 

''  O,  dear  noble  sir!  "  said  Yankel,  "  It'is  utterly 
impossible  now !  God  is  my  witness,  it  is  impos- 
sible !  Such  vile  people,  that  one  can  only  spit  on 
their  heads  in  disgust!  And  Mardokhai  here  will 
tell  you  the  same.  Mardokhai  has  done  what  no 
man  in  the  world  ever  did,  but  it  was  not  God's  will 
that  it  should  be  so.  Three  thousand  of  the 
troops  are  stationed  here,  and  to-morrow  all  the 
men  are  to  be  executed." 

Taras  looked  the  Jew  straight  in  the  eye,  but 
no  longer  with  impatience  or  anger. 

''  But  If  the  noble  lord  wishes  to  see  him,  then 
it  must  be  very  early  in  the  morning,  before  sun- 
rise. The  sentinels  have  agreed,  and  one  jailer 
has  promised.  But  may  they  have  no  happiness  in 
the  world,  woe  is  me!  What  greedy  people! 
Even  among  us  there  are  none  such:  I  had  to 
give  fifty  ducats  to  each  one,  and  to  the  jailer.  .  .  ." 

*'  Good.  Take  me  to  him !  "  exclaimed  Taras 
with  decision,  and  all  the  firmness  returned  to  his 
spirit.     He  agreed  to  Yankel's  proposal  that  he 


256  TARAS  BULBA 

should  disguise  himself  as  a  foreign  count,  just  ar- 
rived from  Germany,  for  which  purpose  the  pru- 
dent Jew  had  already  provided  a  costume.  It  was 
already  night.  The  master  of  the  house,  the 
above-mentioned  red-haired  Jew  with  freckles, 
drew  forth  a  thin  mattress  covered  with  some  sort 
of  rug,  and  spread  it  on  the  bench  for  Bulba. 
Yankel  lay  down  upon  the  floor,  on  a  similar  mat- 
tress. The  red-haired  Jew  drank  a  small  cup  of 
liquor  infusion,  threw  off  his  half-kaftan,  and  be- 
took himself, —  looking,  in  his  shoes  and  stockings, 
a  good  deal  like  a  chicken, —  with  his  Jewess,  to 
something  resembling  a  cupboard.  Two  other 
Jews  lay  down  on  the  floor  beside  the  cupboard, 
like  a  couple  of  family  dogs.  But  Taras  did  not 
sleep :  he  sat  motionless,  drumming  lightly  on  the 
table  with  his  fingers.  He  kept  his  pipe  in  his 
mouth,  and  puffed  out  smoke  which  made  the  Jew 
sneeze,  in  a  state  of  semi-waking,  and  wrap  up  his 
nose  in  his  coverlet.  Scarcely  was  the  sky  tinged 
with  the  first  faint  gleams  of  dawn,  when  he 
pushed  Yankel  with  his  foot :  "  Rise,  Jew,  and 
give  me  your  Count^s  dress !  " 

In  a  moment  he  had  dressed  himself;  he  black- 
ened his  moustache  and  eyebrows,  put  on  his  head 
a  small,  dark  cap,  and  not  even  the  kazaks  who 
knew  him  best  would  have  recognised  him.  To 
all  appearance,  he  was  not  more  than  five  and 


TARAS  BULBA  257 

thirty.  A  healthy  colour  played  In  his  cheeks,  and 
even  his  scars  Imparted  to  him  an  air  of  authority. 
The  gold-embroidered  costume  was  extremely  well 
suited  to  him. 

The  streets  were  still  asleep.  Not  a  single  mer- 
cantile person  had  yet  shown  himself  In  the  city, 
basket  on  arm.  Yankel  and  Bulba  went  to  a  build- 
ing which  had  the  appearance  of  a  crouching  stork. 
It  was  low,  wide,  huge  and  black;  and  on  one  side 
a  tall,  slender  tower  projected,  like  a  stork's  neck, 
above  which  stuck  out  a  bit  of  roof.  This  build- 
ing served  for  a  variety  of  purposes :  It  was  a  bar- 
rack, a  jail,  and  even  the  criminal  court.  Our 
travellers  entered  the  gate,  and  found  themselves 
In  a  vast  room,  or  covered  courtyard.  About  a 
thousand  men  were  sleeping  there.  Straight  be- 
fore them  was  a  small  door  In  front  of  which  sat 
two  sentries  playing  at  some  game  which  consisted 
in  one  striking  the  palm  of  the  other's  hand  with 
two  fingers.  They  paid  scant  heed  to  the  new- 
comers, and  merely  turned  their  heads  when 
Yankel  said,  "  'TIs  we,  noble  sirs;  do  you  hear? 
TIswe.  .  .  y 

"  Go  in!  "  said  one  of  them,  opening  the  door 
with  one  hand,  and  holding  out  the  other  to  his 
comrade,  to  receive  his  blows. 

They  entered  a  low,  dark  corridor,  which  led 
them  to  a  room  of  the  same  description,  with 


258  TARAS  BULBA 

small  windows  overhead.  "Who  goes  there? '* 
shouted  several  voices,  and  Taras  beheld  a  number 
of  warriors  In  full  armour.  *'  We  have  been  or- 
dered to  admit  no  one.'* 

"  *TIs  we!"  cried  Yankel;  **  we,  by  heaven, 
most  illustrious  sirs !  '*  But  no  one  would  listen  to 
them.  Fortunately,  at  that  moment  a  fat  man 
came  along,  who,  from  all  the  signs,  appeared  to 
be  the  commanding  officer,  for  he  cursed  more 
loudly  than  all  the  rest. 

"  Noble  sir,  'tis  we !  You  know  us,  and  the 
sir  Count  will  thank  you." 

"  Admit  them,  a  hundred  devils  and  the  devil's 
mother!  And  admit  no  one  else.  And  no  one 
is  to  take  off  his  sword,  and  no  one  is  to  quarrel 
on  the  floor,  like  dogs.  .  .  ." 

The  conclusion  of  the  eloquent  order  our  trav- 
ellers did  not  hear.  "  'Tis  we,  'tis  I,  'tis  your 
friends!  "  Yankel  said  to  every  one  they  met. 

'*  Well,  can  we  enter  now?  "  he  Inquired  of  one 
of  the  guards,  when,  at  last,  they  reached  the  end 
of  the  corridor. 

"  Yes,  but  I  don't  know  whether  you  are  to  be 
admitted  to  the  prison  itself.  Yan  is  not  here 
now:  another  man  is  standing  guard  In  his  place," 
replied  the  sentinel.  "  Ai,  a'l!"  cried  the  Jew 
softly:  "  this  is  bad,  my  dear  sir!  " 


TARAS  BULBA  259 

"Lead  on!"  said  Taras  firmly.  The  Jew 
obeyed. 

At  the  door  of  the  underground  cells,  which  ran 
to  a  peak  at  the  top,  stood  a  heyduke,^  with  a  three- 
storied  moustache.  The  upper  story  ran  back, 
the  second  straight  forward,  and  the  third  down- 
ward, which  made  him  greatly  resemble  a  cat. 

The  Jew  shrank  into  nothing,  and  sidled  up  to 
him  almost  sideways:  "Your  High  Excellency! 
High  and  Illustrious  lord!  " 

"  Are  you  speaking  to  me,  Jew?  " 

"  To  you,  illustrious  lord." 

"  Hm, —  but  I'm  merely  a  heyduke,"  said  the 
merry-eyed  man  with  the  three-storied  moustache. 

"  And  I  thought  it  was  the  Voevod  himself, 
God  is  my  witness,  I  did!  Ai,  ai,  ai!  "  There- 
upon the  Jew  wagged  his  head  and  spread  out  his 
fingers.  "  AT,  what  an  imposing  aspect !  A 
colonel,  as  God  is  my  witness,  a  regular  colonel ! 
Another  finger's  breadth  and  he'd  be  a  colonel. 
The  noble  lord  ought  to  mount  a  stallion,  one  as 
fleet  as  a  fly,  and  drill  the  regiments !  " 

The  heyduke  arranged  the  lower  story  of  his 
moustache,  and  his  eyes  grew  very  merry. 

1 A  heyduke  is  the  lackey  of  a  grandee,  selected  for  his 
height  and  massive  build,  and  dressed  as  a  Hungarian,  a 
Hussar  or  a  Kazak.     I.  F.  H. 


26o  TARAS  BULBA 

"  What  a  warlike  people !  "  went  on  the  Jew. 
**  Ah,  woe  IS  me,  what  a  fine  race !  All  cords  and 
metal  disks  .  .  .  they  shine  like  the  sun;  and  the 
pretty  girls,  whenever  they  behold  warriors  —  AT, 
ail  "     Again  the  Jew  wagged  his  head. 

The  heyduke  twirled  his  upper  moustache,  and 
uttered  a  sound  which  somewhat  resembled  the 
neigh  of  a  horse. 

"  I  pray  the  noble  lord  to  do  us  a  service !  '*  ex- 
claimed the  Jew :  *'  Here's  a  prince  who  has  come 
hither  from  a  foreign  land  to  get  a  look  at  the 
kazaks.  He  has  never,  in  all  his  life,  seen  what 
sort  of  men  the  kazaks  are." 

The  appearance  of  foreign  counts  and  barons 
was  sufficiently  common  in  Poland :  they  were  often 
drawn  by  curiosity  to  view  this  half-Asiatic  corner 
of  Europe.  They  regarded  Moscow  and  the 
Ukraina  as  situated  in  Asia.  So  the  heyduke 
bowed  low,  and  thought  fit  to  put  in  a  few  words 
of  his  own. 

"  I  do  not  know,  Your  Excellency,"  said  he, 
"  why  you  should  desire  to  see  them.  They  are 
dogs,  not  men;  and  their  Faith  is  such  as  no  one 
respects." 

"  You  lie,  you  son  of  the  Devil!  "  said  Bulba. 
"You're  a  dog,  yourself  I  How  dare  you  say 
that  our  Faith  is  not  respected?  It's  your  hereti- 
cal faith  which  is  not  respected." 


TARAS  BULBA  261 

"  OHo,  ho !  "  said  the  heyduke.  ''  Well,  I  know 
who  you  are,  my  friend;  you're  one  of  those  who 
are  under  my  charge.  So  wait,  I'll  summon  our 
men." 

Taras  perceived  his  indiscretion;  but  vexation 
and  obstinacy  prevented  his  devising  a  means  of 
remedying  it.  Fortunately,  Yankel  managed  to 
Interpose  at  this  moment: —  **  Most  Illustrious  sir, 
how  IS  It  possible  that  the  Count  should  be  a 
kazak?  And  if  he  were  a  kazak,  where  could  he 
have  obtained  such  a  dress,  and  such  a  count-like 
mien?  " 

"  O,  go  talk  to  yourself!  '*  And  the  heyduke 
had  already  opened  his  wide  mouth  to  shout. 

"  Your  Royal  Highness,  silence  I  Silence,  for 
God's  sake !  "  cried  Yankel.  "  Silence !  We  will 
pay  you  for  it  In  a  way  you  have  never  dreamed  of: 
we  will  give  you  two  golden  ducats." 

*'  Oho !  two  ducats  I  I  can't  do  anything  with 
two  ducats.  I  give  my  barber  two  ducats  for 
shaving  only  the  half  of  my  beard.  Give  a  hun- 
dred ducats,  Jew."  Here  the  heyduke  twirled  his 
upper  moustache.  "  And  If  you  don't  give  a  hun- 
dred ducats,  I'll  give  the  alarm  on  the  spot." 

"  And  why  so  much?  "  said  the  Jew  sadly,  turn- 
ing pale,  and  undoing  his  leather  purse;  but  It  was 
lucky  that  he  had  no  more  in  his  purse,  and  that 
the  heyduke  could  not  count  above  one  hundred. 


262  TARAS  BULBA 

"Noble  sir,  noble  sir,  let  us  depart  quickly  1 
See  the  evil  people  yonder  I  "  said  Yankel,  noticing 
that  the  heyduke  was  turning  the  money  over  in 
his  hand,  as  though  regretting  that  he  had  not  de- 
manded more. 

*'  What  do  you  mean,  you  devil  of  a  heyduke?  '' 
said  Bulba.  "  YouVe  taken  our  money,  and  don't 
mean  to  show  us  the  men?  Yes,  you  must  let  us 
see  them.  Since  youVe  taken  the  money,  you  have 
no  right  to  refuse." 

"  Get  out  I  Go  to  the  devil !  And  if  you  don't, 
I'll  give  the  alarm  this  very  minute,  and  you'll  — 
Take  yourselves  off,  and  be  quick  about  it. 
That's  all  I  have  to  say." 

"  Sir,  noble  sir,  let  us  go !  In  God's  name,  let  us 
go !  Curse  him !  May  he  dream  of  such  hor- 
rible things  that  he  will  have  to  spit  in  disgust  I  " 
cried  poor  Yankel. 

Bulba  turned  slowly,  with  drooping  head,  and 
went  back,  followed  by  the  reproaches  of  Yankel, 
who  was  devoured  with  grief  at  the  thought  of  the 
wasted  ducats. 

"  And  why  must  you  needs  stir  him  up?  Why 
didn't  you  let  the  dog  go  on  cursing?  That  race 
can't  help  cursing.  O,  woe  is  me,  what  luck  God 
does  send  to  some  folks  I  A  hundred  ducats 
merely  for  driving  us  off  I  And  our  brother  — 
they'll  tear  off  his  earlocks,  and  they'll  do  some- 


TARAS  BULBA  263 

thing  dreadful  to  his  face,  so  that  you  can't  bear  to 
look  at  it,  and  no  one  will  give  him  a  hundred 
ducats.     O,  my  God!     Merciful  God!  " 

But  this  failure  made  a  much  more  profound 
impression  upon  Bulba,  which  was  expressed  by  a 
devouring  flame  in  his  eyes. 

"  Come  along!  "  he  said  suddenly,  as  though 
shaking  himself;  **  Let's  go  to  the  square.  I  want 
to  see  how  they  will  torture  him." 

"  O,  noble  sir,  why  go?  That  won't  do  any 
good  now." 

"Come  along!"  said  Bulba  obstinately;  and, 
sighing,  the  Jew  followed  him  as  a  nurse  follows 
a  child. 

The  square  on  which  the  execution  was  to  take 
place  was  not  difficult  to  find :  people  were  throng- 
ing thither  from  all  directions.  In  that  savage 
age,  an  execution  constituted  one  of  the  most  inter- 
esting of  spectacles,  not  only  for  the  populace,  but 
also  for  the  higher  classes.  A  multitude  of  the 
most  pious  old  women,  a  throng  of  young  girls  and 
women  of  the  most  cowardly  sort,  who  would 
dream  the  whole  night  afterwards  of  bloody 
corpses,  and  who  shrieked  as  loudly  in  their  sleep 
as  a  drunken  hussar,  missed  no  opportunity,  never- 
theless, to  gratify  their  curiosity.  "  Ah,  what  tor- 
ture! "  many  of  them  would  exclaim  hysterically, 
covering  their  eyes,  and  turning  away;  but  they 


264  TARAS  BULBA 

would  stand  their  ground  for  quite  a  while,  never- 
theless. Many  a  one,  with  gaping  mouth  and  out- 
stretched arms,  would  have  liked  to  jump  upon  the 
heads  of  the  populace  to  get  a  better  view. 
Above  the  mass  of  small,  narrow,  commonplace 
heads,  towered  the  large  head  of  a  butcher,  ad- 
miring the  whole  process  with  the  air  of  a  con- 
noisseur, and  exchanging  monosyllabic  words  with 
a  gunsmith  whom  he  called  "  Gossip  "  because  he 
had  once  got  drunk  in  the  same  dram-shop  with 
him  on  a  holiday.  Some  entered  into  warm  dis- 
cussions, others  even  laid  wagers.  But  the  major- 
ity were  of  the  sort  who,  all  the  world  over,  look 
on  at  the  world  and  at  everything  that  goes  on  in 
it,  and  merely  pick  at  their  noses. 

In  the  foreground,  close  to  the  bearded  city 
guards,  stood  a  young  noble,  or  one  who  appeared 
to  be  such,  in  warlike  garb,  who  had  donned  liter- 
ally everything  he  owned,  so  that  nothing  but  a 
ragged  shirt  and  his  old  shoes  were  left  in  his  quar- 
ters. Two  chains,  one  on  top  of  the  other,  hung 
around  his  neck,  with  some  ducats  or  other  de- 
pending from  them.  He  stood  with  his  mistress 
Yusysya,  and  kept  glancing  round  incessantly,  to 
make  sure  that  no  one  soiled  her  silken  gown. 
He  explained  everything  to  her  so  perfectly  that 
no  one  could  have  added  a  single  word. — "  All 
these  people,  my  dear  Yusysya,"  he  said,  "  whom 


TARAS  BULBA  265 

you  behold,  have  come  hither  to  see  the  criminals 
executed;  and  that  man  yonder,  my  love,  who 
holds  an  axe  and  other  instruments  In  his  hands,  Is 
the  executioner,  and  he  will  despatch  them.  And 
when  he  begins  to  break  them  on  the  wheel,  and  to 
torture  them  in  other  ways,  the  criminal  will  still 
be  alive ;  but  when  he  cuts  off  his  head,  then,  my 
love,  he  will  die  at  once.  Before  that  he  will  cry 
out  and  move  about,  but  just  as  soon  as  his  head 
is  cut  off  It  will  be  Impossible  for  him  to  cry  out, 
or  to  eat  or  drink,  because,  my  dear,  he  will  no 
longer  have  any  head.^'  And  Yusysya  listened  to 
it  all  with  terror  and  curiosity. 

The  roofs  of  the  houses  were  dotted  with  peo- 
ple. From  the  dormer  windows  peered  very 
strange  faces  with  beards  and  something  resem- 
bling caps.  Upon  the  balconies,  beneath  awnings, 
sat  the  aristocracy.  The  lovely  little  hands  of 
a  smiling  young  lady,  gleaming  like  white  sugar, 
clasped  the  railing.  Illustrious  nobles,  all  de- 
cidedly stout  of  figure,  looked  on  with  an  air  of 
Importance.  A  servitor  In  brilliant  garb,  with 
backward-flowing  sleeves,  carried  round  divers 
beverages  and  viands.  Sometimes  a  black-eyed 
rogue  would  take  her  cakes  or  fruit,  and  fling 
them  among  the  crowd  with  her  own  noble  little 
hand.  The  throng  of  hungry  knights  held  up  their 
caps  to  catch  it;  and  some  tall  noble,  In  faded  scar- 


266  TARAS  BULBA 

let  jacket  and  discoloured  braid,  thrusting  his  head 
above  the  throng,  was  the  first  to  grasp  it  with  the 
aid  of  his  long  arms,  and  kissed  his  booty,  pressed 
it  to  his  heart,  and  finally  put  it  in  his  mouth.  A 
hawk,  suspended  beneath  the  balcony  in  a  gilded 
cage,  was  also  a  spectator;  with  beak  inclined  to 
one  side,  and  one  foot  raised,  he,  also,  watched 
the  people  attentively. — But  suddenly  a  murmur 
ran  through  the  crowd,  and  a  rumour  spread: 
"  They're  coming  I  they're  coming !  The  ka- 
zaks!" 

The  kazaks  walked  with  uncovered  heads,  and 
their  long  scalp-locks  ^  floating.  Their  beards 
had  grown.  They  walked  neither  timidly  nor 
surlily,  but  with  a  certain  haughtiness.  Their 
garments  of  handsome  cloth  were  threadbare  and 
hung  about  them  in  tatters.  They  neither  looked 
at  nor  saluted  the  populace.  At  the  head  of  all 
walked  Ostap. 

What  were  old  Taras's  feelings  when  he  be- 
held his  Ostap!  What  was  in  his  heart  then! 
He  gazed  at  him  from  among  the  crowd,  and 
lost  not  a  single  one  of  his  movements.  The  men 
had  already  approached  the  place  of  execution. 

1  These  long  tufts  of  hair  on  the  crown  of  a  shaven  head 
were  a  fashion  borrowed  by  the  Zaporozhtzi  from  the  Poles. 
I.  F.  H. 


TARAS  BULBA  267 

Ostap  halted.  He  was  to  be  the  first  to  quaff 
the  bitter  cup.  He  glanced  at  his  comrades,  raised 
his  hand,  and  said  in  a  loud  voice :  ''  God  grant 
that  none  of  the  heretics  who  stand  here  may 
hear,  impious  wretches,  how  Christians  suffer! 
Let  none  of  us  utter  a  single  word!  '*  Then  he 
walked  up  to  the  scaffold. 

"  Well  done,  son !  well  done !  "  said  Bulba 
softly,  and  bowed  his  grey  head. 

The  executioner  tore  off  Ostap's  old  rags;  they 
fastened  his  arms  and  legs  in  stocks  expressly  pre- 
pared, and  —  we  will  not  harrow  the  reader  with 
a  picture  of  the  hellish  tortures,  which  would  make 
his  hair  rise  upright  on  his  head.  They  were  the 
offspring  of  that  coarse,  wild  age,  when  men  still 
led  the  bloody  life  of  warlike  expeditions  only, 
and  hardened  their  souls  within  them,  until  no 
sense  of  humanity  remained.  In  vain  did  some  — 
a  few  who  were  exceptions  in  that  age  —  oppose 
such  terrible  measures.  In  vain  did  the  King  and 
many  knights,  enlightened  In  mind  and  soul, 
demonstrate  that  such  severity  of  punishment  could 
only  fan  the  flame  of  vengeance  in  the  kazak  na- 
tion. But  the  power  of  the  King  and  the  opinion 
of  the  wise  were  as  nothing  in  comparison  with 
the  savage  will  of  the  magnates  of  the  kingdom 
who,  by  their  thoughtlessness  and  incomprehensible 


268  TARAS  BULBA 

lack  of  all  far-sighted  policy,  their  childish  self- 
love  and  petty  pride,  converted  the  Diet  into  a 
satire  on  government. 

Ostap  endured  the  tortures  and  torments  like 
a  giant.  Not  a  cry,  not  a  groan  was  audible; 
even  when  they  began  to  break  the  bones  in  his 
arms  and  legs,  when  the  horrible  cracking  could  be 
heard  by  the  most  remote  spectators  amid  the 
deathlike  stillness  of  the  throng,  when  even  the 
young  ladies  turned  aside  their  eyes,  nothing  even 
resembling  a  groan  escaped  his  lips,  nor  did  his 
face  quiver.  Taras  stood  in  the  crowd  with 
bowed  head;  but  at  the  same  time,  rasing  his  eyes 
proudly,  he  said  with  approbation :  "  Well  done, 
son !  Well  done  I  ''  But  when  they  took  him  to 
the  last  deadly  tortures,  it  seemed  as  though  his 
strength  were  on  the  point  of  failing.  And  he 
turned  his  eyes  about  him  on  all  sides. 

O  God!  All  strangers,  all  unknown  faces! 
If  only  some  one  of  his  near  relatives  were  but 
present  at  his  death!  He  would  not  have  wished 
to  hear  the  sobs  and  anguish  of  his  feeble  mother, 
or  the  unreasoning  shrieks  of  a  wife,  tearing 
her  hair  and  beating  her  white  breast:  he  would 
have  liked  to  see  a  strong  man  who  could  refresh 
him  with  a  wise  word,  and  cheer  him  at  the  end. 
And  his  strength  failed  him,  and  he  cried  aloud, 


TARAS  BULBA  269 

in  the  weakness  of  his  soul :     "  Father !     Where 
are  you?     Do  you  hear  it  all?  " 

"  I  hear!  "  rang  through  the  universal  silence, 
and  all  that  million  of  people  shuddered  in  concert. 
A  detachment  of  mounted  soldiers  hastened  anx- 
iously to  scan  the  throng  of  people.  Yankel 
turned  pale  as  death,  and  when  the  horsemen  ar- 
rived within  a  short  distance  of  him  he  turned 
round  in  terror  to  look  at  Taras :  but  Taras  was 
no  longer  beside  him ;  every  trace  of  him  was  lost. 


CHAPTER  TWELVE 


I 


XII 

TRACES  of  Taras  made  themselves  ap- 
parent. A  hundred  and  twenty  thousand 
kazaks  descended  upon  the  border- 
marches  of  the  Ukralna.  This  was  not  a  small  di- 
vision or  detachment  which  had  sallied  forth  for 
plunder,  or  in  pursuit  of  the  Tatars.  No:  the 
whole  nation  had  risen,  for  the  measure  of  the 
people's  patience  was  full  to  overflowing;  they 
had  risen  to  avenge  the  mockery  of  their  rights, 
the  dishonourable  humiliation  of  their  characters, 
the  insults  to  the  Faith  of  their  ancestors  and 
their  sacred  customs,  the  dishonouring  of  their 
Church,  the  dissolute  excesses  of  the  foreign 
nobles,  the  Union,  the  disgraceful  domination  of 
Jewdom  on  Christian  soil,  and  all  that  had  ex- 
cited and  doubled  the  stern  hatred,  which  the 
kazaks  had  cherished  for  ages.  Hetman  Ostra- 
nitza,  young  but  strong  in  spirit,  led  the  entire 
innumerable  kazak  forces.  By  his  side  could  be 
seen  his  very  aged  and  experienced  friend  and 
counsellor,  Gunya.  Eight  colonels  led  regiments 
of  twelve  thousand  each.     Two  Yesauls-general 

273 


274  TARAS  BULBA 

and  a  Chief  Bearer  of  the  Hetman's  mace  of  office, 
rode  behind  the  Hetman.  A  Cornet-general  car- 
ried the  principal  standard;  many  other  standards 
and  banners  floated  afar;  the  assistants  of  the  Het- 
man*s  mace-bearer  bore  the  Hetman's  st^ff. 
There  were  also  many  other  officials  of  the  regi- 
ment, of  the  transport-wagons,  and  of  the  general 
army,  and  regimental  scribes,  and  with  them  de- 
tachments of  foot-soldiers  and  of  cavalry.  There 
were  almost  as  many  free  kazaks  and  volunteers 
as  there  were  registered  kazaks.  The  kazaks  had 
risen  up  everywhere,  in  Chigirin,  from  Pereyaslav, 
from  Baturin,  from  Glukhov,  from  the  regions  of 
the  lower  Dnyeper,  from  the  whole  of  its  upper 
course  and  from  the  islands.  Innumerable  horses, 
and  countless  camps  of  carts  stretched  across  the 
plain.  And  among  all  these  kazaks,  among  all 
those  eight  regiments,  one  regiment  was  the  flower 
of  them  all,  and  it  was  led  by  Taras  Bulba.  Ev- 
erything contributed  to  give  him  weight  over  the 
nfJTPrsj  his  n^y^nceA  years,_hjs  experience  and  skill 
in  directing  his  troops,  and  his  haTred^f  the  foe, 
whicfTsurpassed  that  of  alTtHe  rest.  His  grey 
head  dreamed  of  nothing  but  fire  and  the  halter, 
and  his  utterances  In  the  councils  of  war  breathed 
nothing  short  of  annihilation. 

It  is  not  worth  while  to  describe  all  the  battles 
in  which  the  kazaks  distinguished  themselves,  or 


TARAS  BULBA  275 

the  gradual  course  of  the  campaign.  All  that  is 
set  down  in  the  Chronicles  of  old.  Every  one 
knows  what  an  army  raised  on  Russian  soil  for  the 
Faith  is  like.  There  is  no  power  stronger  than 
faith.  It  is  menacing  and  invincible  as  a  rock  not 
made  by  human  hands,  amid  the  stormy,  ever- 
changing  sea.  From  the  very  heart  of  the  depths 
of  the  sea  it  lifts  its  impregnable  walls  to  heaven, 
all  built  of  a  single,  compact  stone.  It  is  visible 
from  every  side,  and  looks  the  waves  straight  in 
the  eye  as  they  roll  past.  And  woe  to  the  vessel 
which  is  dashed  against  it !  The  rigging  flies  into 
splinters,  everything  in  it  sinks  and  is  crushed,  into 
dust,  and  the  startled  air  reverberates  with  the 
cries  of  the  drowning. 

The  pages  of  the  Chronicles  contain  a  minute 
description  of  how  the  Polish  garrisons  fled  from 
the  liberated  towns;  how  the  unscrupulous  Jewish 
revenue-farmers  were  hung;  how  weak  was  the 
royal  Hetman,  Nikolai  Pototzk^,  with  his  numer- 
ous army  againstTKis  invincible  force ;  how,  broken, 
pursued,  he  drowned  the  best  part  of  his  army  in  a 
small  stream;  how  the  fierce  kazak  regiments  be- 
sieged him  in  the  small  town  of  Polon;  and,  how, 
driven  to  extremities,  the  Polish  Hetmar?  promised, 
under  oath,  full  satisfaction  for'everything,  in  the 
name  of  his  King  and  the  government  oflicials, 
^nd  the  restitution  of  all  their  former  rights  and 


276  TARAS  BULBA 

privileges.  But  the  kazaks  were  not  the  men  to 
be  tricked  by  all  that:  they  already  knew  full  well 
the  value  of  a  Polish  oath.  And  Pototzky  would 
never  more  have  pranced  on  his  six-thousand  ducat 
race-horse  of  the  Kabarda,  attracting  the  glances 
of  distinguished  ladies,  and  the  envy  of  the  nobil- 
ity; he  would  never  more  have  cut  a  figure  in  the 
Diet,  giving  luxurious  feasts  to  Senators, —  if  the 
Russian  priests  who  were  In  the  little  town  had 
not  saved  him.  When  all  the  clergy  in  their  bril- 
liant gold  vestments,  with  the  Bishop  himself,  cross 
In  hand  and  episcopal  mitre  on  head,  went  out 
to  meet  the  kazaks,  bearing  the  holy  pictures  and 
the  cross,  all  the  kazaks  bowed  their  heads,  and 
doffed  their  caps.  No  one  lower  than  the  King 
himself  would  they  have  respected  at  such  an  hour; 
but  their  boldness  subsided  before  the  Church  of 
Christ,  and  they  paid  respect  to  their  priesthood. 
The  Hetman  and  the  Colonels  agreed  to  release 
Pototzky,  after  having  exacted  from  him  a  solemn 
oath  to  leave  all  the  Christian  churches  at  liberty, 
to  lay  aside  the  ancient  enmity,  and  to  do  no  Injury 
to  the  kazak  army.  Qne  colonel  alone  would  not 
agree  to  sucha  peace.  That  one  w^^-Ta4*a:^r-~~-He 
tore  a  handful  ofTiair  from  his  headr-afl^i-erled : 

*^  lih,  hetman  and  LoloneTs!  Commit  no  such 
womanish  deed!  Trust  not  the  Lyakhs!  The 
dogs  will  betray  you !  " 


TARAS  BULBA  277 

When  the  regimental  scribe  presented  the  agree- 
ment, and  the  Hetman  set  his  powerful  hand  to  It, 
Taras  drew  out  his  genuine  Damascus  blade,  a  rich 
Turkish  sabre  of  the  finest  steel,  broke  It  in  twain 
like  a  reed,  and  flung  the  two  fragments  far  away 
from  him  on  either  side,  saying:  "Farewell! 
As  the  two  pieces  of  this  sword  will  never  re- 
unite and  form  one  sword  again,  so,  we,  comrades, 
shall  never  more  behold  one  another  in  this  world. 
Remember  my  parting  words."  (Here  his  voice 
rose  higher  and  acquired  a  hitherto  unknown 
power  —  and  his  prophetic  utterances  troubled 
them  all.)  "Before  your  death-hour  you  will  re- 
member me!  Do  you  think  that  you  have  pur- 
chased peace  and  quiet?  Do  you  think  you  are 
going  to  reign  like  Polish  lords?  You  will  reign 
like  Polish  lords,  but  after  quite  another  fashion. 
They  will  flay  the  skin  from  your  head,  Hetman, 
they  will  stuff  It  with  bran,  and  long  will  it  be  ex- 
hibited at  all  the  fairs.  And  neither  will  you 
retain  your  heads,  noble  sirs !  You  will  perish  In 
damp  dungeons,  walled  about  with  stone.  If  they 
do  not  boil  you  alive  In  kettles,  as  they  boil 
sheep ! 

"  And  you,  my  men,"  he  went  on,  turning  to  his 
followers,  "  which  of  you  wants  to  die  a  proper 
death?  not  through  sorrows  and  womanish  long- 
ing, nor  drunk  under  a  hedge  alongside  of  the 


278  TARAS  BULBA 

dramshop;  but  an  honourable  kazak  death,  all  in 
one  bed,  like  bride  and  groom?  Or,  perhaps,  you 
would  like  to  go  back  home  and  turn  infidels,  and 
carry  Polish  Catholic  priests  on  your  backs?  " 

"  We'll  follow  you,  sir  Colonel,  we'll  follow 
you ! "  shouted  his  whole  regiment,  and  many 
others  joined  them. 

"  If  you  mean  to  follow  me,  then  come  on!  " 
said  Taras,  pulling  his  cap  further  down  on  his 
brows;  and  throwing  a  menacing  glance  at  the 
others,  he  walked  to  his  horse,  and  shouted  to  his 
men :  "  Let  no  one  reproach  us  with  any  insulting 
speeches !  Now,  hey  there,  my  lads !  we'll  go  and 
pay  a  visit  to  the  Catholics  I  "  Thereupon  he 
lashed  his  horse,  and  there  followed  him  a  camp 
of  a  hundred  carts,  and  with  them  many  cavalry 
and  foot-soldiers;  and,  turning,  he  threatened  with 
his  glance  all  who  remained  behind  —  and  wrath 
was  in  his  eye.  The  regiment  marched  off  in  full 
view  of  the  whole  army,  and  Taras  continued  long 
to  turn  and  glower. 

The  Hetman  and  the  colonels  were  disquieted; 
all  grew  thoughtful  and  remained  long  silent,  as 
though  oppressed  by  some  heavy  foreboding. 
Not  in  vain  did  Taras  prophesy :  all  came  to  pass 
as  he  had  foretold.  A  little  while  afterwards, 
after  the  treacherous  attack  at  Kanev,  the  Het- 
man's  head  was  mounted  on  a  stake,  together  with 


TARAS  BULBA  279 

the  heads  of  many  among  his  principal  offi- 
cers. 

And  what  of  Taras?  Taras  roamed  all  over 
Poland  with  his  regiment^burned  eighteen  towns, 
and  nearly  forty  chiircEes,  and  reached  Krakov. 
He  slew  many  nobles  of  all  degrees,  and  plundered 
the  richest  and  finest  castles.  The  kazaks  opened 
and  poured  out  on  the  ground  the  century-old 
mead  and  wine,  carefully  hoarded  up  in  the  noble- 
men's cellars ;  they  cut  and  burned  rich  cloths,  gar- 
ments, and  utensils,  which  they  found  in  the  store- 
rooms. '*  Spare  nothing,"  Taras  kept  repeating 
—  only  that.  The  kazaks  spared  not  the  black- 
browed  gentlewoman,  the  brilliant,  white-bosomed 
maidens :  they  could  not  save  themselves,  not  even 
at  the  altar  itself;  Taras  burned  them  together 
with  the  altar.  Many  were  the  snowy  hands  up- 
raised to  heaven  from  amid  the  fiery  flames,  ac- 
companied by  piteous  shrieks,  which  would  have 
moved  the  damp  earth  itself  to  pity,  and  caused 
the  steppe-grass  to  bend  low  with  compassion  at 
their  fate.  But  the  ruthless  kazaks  paid  no  heed, 
and  picking  up  the  children  in  the  streets  upon 
their  lances,  they  cast  them,  also,  into  the  flames. 

*'  This  is  in  commemoration  of  Ostap,  you  dev- 
ilish Lyakhs !  "  was  all  that  Taras  said.  And 
such  commemorations  for  Ostap  he  arranged  in 
every  village,  until  the  Polish  Government  per- 


28o  TARAS  BULBA 

/ceived  that  Taras's  raids  were  more  than  ordinary 
expeditions  for  pkinder;  and  that  same  Pototzky 
was  given  five  regiments,  and  ordered  to  capture 
Taras,  without  fail. 

Six  days  did  the  kazaks  retreat  along  the  coun- 
try lanes,  before  the  pursuit;  their  horses  barely 
endured  this  excessive  flight,  but  they  saved  the 
kazaks.  But  this  time  Pototzky  was  equal  to  the 
task  intrusted  to  him ;  unwearily  he  followed  them, 
and  reached  the  bank  of  the  Dnyeper,  where  Taras 
had  taken  possession  of  a  ruined  and  abandoned 
castle,  for  the  purpose  of  resting. 

On  the  very  brink  of  the  Dnyeper,  it  could  be 
seen,  with  its  shattered  ramparts  and  the  ruined 
remains  of  its  walls.  The  summit  of  the  cliff  was 
strewn  with  rubbish  and  broken  bricks,  ready  at 
any  moment  to  detach  themselves  and  fly  to  the 
bottom.  The  Royal  Hetman,  Pototzky,  sur- 
rounded it  on  the  two  sides  which  faced  the  plain. 
Four  days  did  the  kazaks  fight  and  struggle,  de- 
fending thea^selves  with  bricks  and  stones.  But 
their  provisions  and  their  grrength  IJecame  ex- 
hausted, and  Taras  resolved  to  cut  his  way  through 
the  ranks.  And  the  kazaks  would  have  cut  their 
way  out,  and  their  swift  steeds  might  again  have 
served  them  faithfully,  had  not  Taras  halted  sud- 
denly In  the  very  midst  of  their  flight,  and  shouted ; 
**Halt!  nay-^ip#4u^  dropped  with  Its  tobac;co:  I 


TARAS  BULBA  281 

won't  let  those  devilish  Lyakhs  have  my  pipe !  " 
And  the  old  ataman  bent  down,  and  searched  in 
the  grass  for  his  pipe  full  of  tobacco,  his  insep- 
arable companion  on  all  his  expeditions  on  sea  and 
land  and  at  home. 

But,  In  the  meantime,  a  band  of  Lyakhs  sud- 
denly dashed  up  and  seized  him  by  his  mighty 
shoulders.  He  tried  to  struggle  with  all  his 
limbs;  but  he  failed  to  scatter  the  heydukes  over 
the  ground  as  he  had  been  wont  to  do.  "  O,  old 
age,  old  age  !  "  he  said :  and  the  stalwart  old  kazak 
wept.  But  it  was  not  his  age  that  was  to  blame : 
nearly  thirty  men  were  hanging  on  his  arms  and 
legs. 

''  The  raven  Is  caught  I  "  shouted  the  Lyakhs. 
**  Now  It  is  only  necessary  to  think  how  we  can 
best  show  him  honour,  the  dog!  "  and  they  de- 
cided, with  the  permission  of  the  Hetman,  to  burn 
him  alive  In  the  sight  of  every  one.  Near  by 
stood  a  naked  tree,  whose  crest  had  been  blasted 
by  lightning.  They  bound  him  with  iron  chains 
to  the  trunk  of  the  tree,  driving  nails  through  his 
hands,  and  raising  him  as  high  as  possible,  that  the 
old  kazak  might  be  everywhere  visible;  and  they 
immediately  began  to  build  a  pyre  of  faggots  at 
the  foot  of  the  tree.  But  Taras  did  not  look  at 
the  pyre,  nor  did  he  think  of  the  fire  with  which 
they   were    preparing   to   burn   him:    he    gazecj 


282  TARAS  BULBA 

anxiously,  the  great-hearted  man,  In  the  direction 
whence  the  kazaks  were  firing.  From  his  lofty 
post  of  observation  he  could  see  everything,  as  in 
the  palm  of  his  hand. 

"  Take  possession,  my  lads,  take  possession 
quickly,"  he  shouted,  "  of  the  hillock  behind  the 
forest:  they  can't  approach  It!''  But  the  wind 
did  not  carry  his  words  to  them.  "  They'll  per- 
ish, perish  for  nothing!  "  he  said,  in  despair,  and 
glanced  down  to  where  the  Dnyeper  gleamed.  Joy 
shone  In  his  eyes.  He  descried  the  sterns  of  four 
boats  peeping  out  from  behind  the  bushes;  and  he 
gathered  together  all  the  strength  of  his  voice,  and 
shouted  In  a  ringing  tone :  "  To  the  shore,  to  the 
shore,  my  lads !  descend  the  path  on  the  left,  under 
the  cliff.  There  are  boats  on  the  strand;  seize 
them  all,  that  the  foe  may  not  catch  you !  " 

This  time  the  breeze  blew  from  the  other  quar- 
ter, and  all  his  words  were  audible  to  the  kazaks. 
But  for  this  counsel  he  received  a  blow  on  the  head 
with  the  butt-end  of  an  axe,  which  made  everything 
dance  before  his  eyes. 

The  kazaks  rode  down  the  cliff  path  at  full 
speed;  but  the  pursuers  were  at  their  heels.  They 
looked:  the  path  wound  and  twisted  and  made 
many  curves  aside.  **  Ah,  comrades,  luck's 
against  us !  "  said  they  all,  then  halted  for  an  in- 
stant, raised  their  whips  —  and  their  Tatar  horses 


TAKAS  BULBA  283 

rose  from  the  ground,  clove  air  like  serpents,  flew 
over  the  precipice,  and  plunged  straight  into  the 
Dnyeper.  Two  only  failed  to  land  in  the  river, 
and  thundered  from  the  height  upon  the  stones, 
and  perished  there  with  their  steeds,  before  they 
could  even  utter  a  cry.  But  the  rest  of  the  kazaks 
were  already  swimming  with  their  horses  and  un- 
fastening the  boats.  The  Lyakhs  halted  on  the 
brink  of  the  precipice,  astounded  at  this  wonderful 
feat  of  the  kazaks,  and  thinking :  "  Shall  we  leap 
down  to  them,  or  not?  " 

One  young  colonel,  a  lively,  hot-blooded  fellow, 
own  brother  to  the  beautiful  Pole  who  had  seduced 
poor  Andril,  did  not  reflect  long,  but  hurled  himself 
^nd  his  horse  after  the  kazaks,  with  all  his  might. 
He  turned  three  somersaults  In  the  air  with  his 
steed,  and  landed  heavily  on  the  jagged  cliffs. 
The  sharp  stones  tore  him  In  pieces  as  he  fell  Into 
the  abyss ;  and  his  brains,  mingled  with  blood,  be- 
spattered the  shrubs  which  grew  on  the  uneven 
walls  of  the  precipice. 

When  Taras  Bulba  recovered  from  the  blow, 
and  glanced  at  the  Dnyeper,  the  kazaks  were  al- 
ready In  the  skiffs,  and  were  rowing  away.  Bul- 
lets showered  upon  them  from  above,  but  did  not 
reach  them.  And  the  old  Ataman's  eyes  sparkled 
with  joy. 

"  Farewell,   comrades  1  "   he  shouted  to  them 


284  TARAS  BULBA 

from  above ;  "  remember  me,  and  come  hither 
again  next  spring  to  make  merry !  —  What  if  ye 
have  captured  me,  ye  devilish  Lyakhs  ?  Think  ye 
that  there  is  anything  in  the  world  which  the  kazak 
fears?  Wait;  the  time  will  come  when  ye  shall 
learn  what  the  Orthodox  Russian  Faith  is  like! 
Already  the  peoples,  far  and  near,  are  beginning  to 
understand  it.  A  Tzar  shall  arise  from  the  Rus- 
sian soil,  and  there  shall  not  be  a  Power  in  the 
world  which  shall  not  submit  Itself  to  him !  "  But 
the  fire  had  already  risen  above  the  faggots ;  it  was 
lapping  his  feet,  and  the  flames  spread  to  the  tree. 
.  .  .  But  can  any  fire,  flames  or  power  be  found  on 
earth  capable  of  overpowering  Russian  strength? 
Not  small  Is  the  river  Dnyeper,  and  in  it  are 
many  deep  pools,  dense  reed-beds,  shallows  and 
little  bays;  its  watery  mirror  gleams  brightly,  re- 
sounding with  the  ringing  plaint  of  the  swan,  and 
the  proud  wild  goose  glides  swiftly  over  it;  and 
many  are  the  woodcocks,  tawny-throated  grouse, 
and  various  other  sorts  of  birds  to  be  found  among 
the  reeds  and  along  its  shores.  The  kazaks 
floated  swiftly  on  In  the  narrow,  double-ruddered 
boats, —  rowed  stoutly,  carefully  shunning  the 
reefs,  cleaving  the  ranks  of  the  birds,  which  rose 
on  the  wing  —  and  talked  of  their  Ataman. 

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